Genital warts

This is the name that is applied to warts that men suffer in the groin or on the penis. Most commonly, genital warts come up in clusters and are clearly visible. Given that they are most commonly passed from one sexual partner to another during unprotected sex, the simple way of ensuring that warts of this nature do not occur is to avoid sexual encounters with those who have them.

As suggested previously, it is possible for genital warts to infect both sexes, with the female version being known as 'vaginal warts'.

A third variation is anal warts which are small clusters of the same warts that appear around the anal hole which are once again sexually transmitted. However, in the same way that vaginal warts may not be visible if they have infected the cervix, so anal warts may be invisible if they are only present inside the anus.

Another important consideration is that genital, vaginal or anal warts do not have to be visible for any individual to be a carrier of the HPV virus. Hence, it is possible that you could be infected by someone who has no outward signs of infection if you are not practicing safe sex (or abstaining).

According to the statistics reported by Wikipedia, it is believed that HPV is the most commonly contracted sexually transmitted disease in the USA. In fact, it is estimated that 75-80% of sexually active Americans will contract HPV at some time in their life while the Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggests that some 80% of US woman will have contracted at least one strain of HPV before they reach age 50.

Given all of these statistics and suggestions, there can be little doubt that the chances of being infected with one of the HPV strains that cause anogenital warts (between them, HPV strains 6 and 11 are responsible for 90% of cases) is remarkably high. There can therefore be no argument against the suggestion that anyone suffering from warts of this nature should do whatever is necessary to prevent them infecting other people.

However, it is important to understand that home remedies are not appropriate for the treatment of genital warts. While there are various products that are claimed to get rid of genital warts completely naturally (try here or here), it is still probably the best idea to seek medical attention if you have any reason to suspect that you have been infected with HPV.