subject: Recognizing Genital Warts - Some Basic Facts [print this page] If you have noticed any growths of any kind around your genital or public area, you may be wondering, what are genital warts? Do I have them? Recognizing genital warts is the first step on the road to a treatment program that will help you live a more comfortable life with less recurrence of genital warts infections. There are many identifying symptoms you can observe, but you must see a doctor if you think you have genital warts. It's important to know whether or not you have the virus so you can avoid spreading it on to others.
Recognizing genital warts, it's helpful to know the color of the warts. The warts themselves may be the color of flesh, or they may be slightly gray color. These growths are located in the genital region and the anal region of men or of women. Sometimes they are also found in other areas of the body such as the front or back of the upper legs or the lower belly. Another name for genital warts may be venereal warts, or condyloma acuminata. This sexually transmitted disease is the most common one out there nowadays and it is caused by HPV, which is short for the human papillomavirus.
It is possible to have the virus but not have any outbreaks. This is when the virus is dormant. So it is important to be checked by a doctor to know whether or not you have the virus. Genital warts can affect anyone of any age, but the most people who have it are between the ages of their teens and into their early 30s. Even if you have sexual contact just once with an infected person, your risk of contracting the virus is as much as 60% now. So this is a dangerous virus that you want to try your best to avoid. This means recognizing genital warts in others or in yourself as much as possible.
When children have genital warts, there are different ways they may have gotten it. It can be transmitted through hand to hand touching and it can also be transmitted from birth if the child's mother was infected. Sometimes, genital warts in children are an indication of child abuse. At the least it merits further investigation into how the child got the genital warts. Recognizing genital warts could mean saving a child from further abuse. Genital warts in children can cause much more severe symptoms and should never be ignored.
