How long do genital warts last

Some people, though, may have itching, bleeding, burning, or pain. The HPV that causes genital warts usually spreads through vaginal, oral, or anal sex or close sexual contact with the genital area. Even if there are no warts, HPV might still be active in the genital area and can spread to others. Health care providers usually can diagnose genital warts by looking at them.

Sometimes, doctors take a small sample of the wart to send to a lab for testing. This usually isn't painful. Sometimes, warts come back after treatment. This is because the treatments can't get rid of all of the HPV in the body.

How long genital warts last can vary from person to person. Sometimes, the immune system clears the warts within a few months. But even if the warts go away, the HPV might still be active in the body.

So the warts can come back. Usually within 2 years, the warts and the HPV are gone from the body. People with genital warts definitely can spread HPV. But even after the warts are gone, HPV might still be active in the body. That means it can spread to someone else through sex or close sexual contact and cause warts in that person. It's hard to know when people are no longer contagious, because there's no blood test that looks for HPV.

Genital warts and other types of HPV can be prevented by a vaccine. The HPV vaccine series is recommended for all kids when they're 9—11 years old. Older teens and adults also can get the vaccine up to age Warts may appear on the vulva the outer genital area that surrounds the opening of the vagina , on the skin between the opening of the vagina and the anus, in or around the anus, in or around the vagina, or on the cervix.

How long genital warts last depends mostly on how fast your immune system recognizes HPV and responds to clear it from your body. This is usually faster when your healthcare professional treats the warts. However, treatment may still take several weeks and sometimes several months. Even after treatment, there is always the chance that genital warts could return because HPV still may be present. Genital warts may appear within a few weeks after sexual contact with an infected partner, or they may take many weeks or months to appear.

Occasionally, they may not appear for years. Most people experience only the bumps on the genitals. Occasionally, the warts may cause mild itching and burning. Because of their physical appearance, genital warts can sometimes make people feel anxious or embarrassed. Precautions and protective measures from the CDC on Covid For the latest information please refer to the CDC website.

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What you need to know about cervical cancer, genital warts, and HPV. What is HPV? How common is HPV? How is HPV transmitted? What is cervical cancer? Many sexual health clinics offer a walk-in service where you do not need an appointment. A sexual health clinic will often get test results quicker than a GP surgery, and you do not have to pay a prescription charge for medicines prescribed by a sexual health clinic.

Find a sexual health clinic. It may not be possible to find out who you got genital warts from, or how long you've had the infection.

The type of treatment you'll be offered depends on what the warts look like and where they are. The doctor or nurse will discuss this with you. It may take weeks or months for treatment to work and the warts may come back. In some people, the treatment does not work. There's no cure for genital warts, but it's possible for your body to fight the virus over time. The genital warts virus can be passed on even when there are no visible warts. If you have genital warts, your current sexual partners should get tested because they may have warts and not know it.

After you get the infection, it can take weeks to many months before symptoms appear. The virus can also be passed to a baby from its mother during birth, but this is rare.