Genital warts treatment, diagnosis & prescriptions

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Yes. In most cases, a genital warts diagnosis can be made by describing the warts or by a doctor on Maple evaluating their appearance.

A doctor may sometimes request a biopsy on one of the warts, depending on your medical history, the shape, size or colour of the warts and unpleasant symptoms you may be experiencing. They can also write necessary prescriptions for genital wart medications.

If you aren’t experiencing any discomfort, genital warts treatment may not be necessary; unless you’re concerned about spreading the infection to another partner or for cosmetic purposes.

Maple can assist with treatment of genital warts for cosmetic purposes and to help decrease the spread to other areas.

Genital warts are soft growths that appear on the genitals or both men and women. They can appear individually, or grow in small clusters.

The warts are a symptom of the sexually transmitted infection, HPV (human papillomavirus).

Genital wart symptoms include:

• Bleeding during sexual intercourse
• Itching, burning or discomfort in your genital area
• Small brown, pink or flesh-coloured growths or swellings in your genital area
• A cauliflower shape caused by numerous warts growing close together

Genital warts are a symptom caused by many of the different types of HPV.

There are over 40 strains of HPV that affect the genital area and genital warts are almost always spread through direct sexual contact with partners.

If our doctor isn’t able to make a diagnosis based on description or appearance, they may have to do additional testing, which can vary between men and women.

Genital warts in men are frequently diagnosed by the doctor performing an HPV test using a vinegar solution to help identify warts that aren’t raised. However, this test isn’t always accurate, as ordinary skin can occasionally be mistaken for warts.

For genital warts in female patients, the doctor may suggest a pap test to help detect changes in the vaginal or cervical areas. Some forms of HPV, if left untreated, have been linked as a cause of cervical cancer in women.

At this time there is no routine testing available for gay or bisexual men who are at a higher risk of anal cancer due to HPV. Some doctors are urging for anal PAPs to check for abnormalities, but at this time it is not approved in Canada.

In women over 30, the doctor may suggest an HPV test on the PAP smear. Although, due to the current Ontario Cervical Screening Guidelines, women under 30 aren’t usually given this test.

If the doctor wishes to do additional testing on the genital warts, they may request a biopsy. Maple is able to assist with diagnosing and treating genital warts for both men and women of any age.

Genital warts treatment typically involves applying creams, resins and in some cases, chemicals to burn off the warts.

For particularly difficult to remove warts, other more invasive treatments include:

• Laser treatments (using focused beams of light to burn off the wart)
• Surgical excision (cut off by the doctor using special tools)
• Freezing with liquid nitrogen (causing a blister to form and the wart to fall off)
• Electrocautery (using electrical current to burn off the wart)

These methods are considered surgical options, and could cause side effects such as swelling, pain and scarring.

Depending on the severity of your infection, and the type of HPV that has been contracted, the warts could go away without treatment.

However, because there is no true genital warts cure, they could also return again in the future.

In some cases, genital warts can be painful. If you begin to experience pain, itching or burning around the infected area, it’s recommended to talk to a doctor about genital wart treatment options.