Patient Basics: Genital Warts

Genital warts are small, soft growths on or around the genitals or anus. They are caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), a very common virus passed on through sexual skin-to-skin contact. The warts are usually harmless and painless, and treatment can remove them. The HPV vaccine prevents most cases.

Key points

• Two HPV types, 6 and 11, cause about 9 in 10 genital warts. These types rarely lead to cancer.
• Warts can appear weeks to months after contact, so it’s often hard to know when or from whom you got HPV.
• Treatments include creams you put on at home and freezing or removal in a clinic. Warts often come back, but they usually clear in time.
• Condoms lower the risk but don’t fully prevent spread, because HPV lives on skin they don’t cover.
• The HPV vaccine protects against the types that cause most genital warts and several cancers.

What causes genital warts

There are more than 100 types of HPV. Some cause common warts on the hands and feet. About 40 types infect the genital area. Most people who have sex will get genital HPV at some point, and most never know, because the body usually clears the virus without any symptoms.

In some people, low-risk HPV types make skin cells grow into warts. HPV spreads during vaginal, anal or oral sex, and through other close genital contact. It can spread even when no warts are visible.

Warts are more likely, and harder to clear, in people who smoke or have a weakened immune system, such as from HIV or medicines after a transplant.

What genital warts look like

• One or more small bumps that are skin-colored, pink, brown or gray
• Bumps that are flat or raised, smooth or rough. Groups of them can look like a small cauliflower.
• In women and people with a vulva: on the vulva, inside the vagina, on the cervix or around the anus
• In men and people with a penis: on the penis, scrotum, groin or around the anus
• Itching, mild discomfort or light bleeding, especially with sex

Most warts don’t hurt. Some are so small or hidden that you may not see them. Rarely, they grow in the mouth or throat after oral sex.

Genital warts and cancer

The HPV types that cause warts are different from the high-risk types that can cause cancer of the cervix, anus, penis, vulva and throat. Having warts doesn’t mean you will get cancer. Still, a person can have more than one HPV type, so keep up with cervical cancer screening as advised for your age. Ask your doctor whether anal screening makes sense for you if you have HIV.

How they’re diagnosed

A doctor or nurse can usually tell by looking. They may use a magnifying light. Women may have a pelvic exam, and the doctor may look inside the anus if warts are nearby. A small sample (biopsy) is taken only if a growth looks unusual, bleeds or doesn’t respond to treatment.

There’s no routine blood test for HPV. The HPV test used in cervical screening checks for high-risk types, not the ones that cause warts. Your doctor may suggest testing for other sexually transmitted infections at the same visit.

Treatment

Some warts go away on their own within a year, so waiting is an option if they don’t bother you. Treatment removes the warts but not the virus, and warts come back in many people, often within a few months.

Creams and gels you use at home

• Imiquimod cream boosts the skin’s immune response.
• Podofilox solution or gel destroys wart tissue.
• Sinecatechins ointment is made from a green tea extract.

These are used for weeks to months and can cause redness and soreness. Don’t use them inside the vagina or anus, or during pregnancy, unless your doctor says so.

Treatments in a clinic

• Freezing (cryotherapy) with liquid nitrogen, repeated every week or two
• An acid solution (trichloroacetic acid) painted onto the warts
• Removal by cutting, burning (electrocautery) or laser, often for large or stubborn warts

Don’t use wart removers sold for hands and feet on genital skin. They can cause burns.

During pregnancy

Warts may grow during pregnancy. A doctor can remove them with freezing or other clinic methods. Rarely, HPV passes to the baby during birth. A cesarean birth is usually needed only if warts block the birth canal.

Lowering your risk

• Get the HPV vaccine. It is advised at age 11 or 12 and can start at 9. Teens and adults up to 26 who weren’t vaccinated should get it. Some adults aged 27 to 45 may benefit, so ask your doctor. It works best before any sexual contact.
• Use condoms or dental dams every time you have sex.
• Avoid sex while warts are visible or being treated.
• Don’t smoke.

Talking with partners

It’s worth telling current partners, so they can watch for warts and see a doctor if they notice any. Partners without warts don’t need treatment. Because HPV is so common and can stay hidden for a long time, getting warts doesn’t mean that you or your partner has been unfaithful.

When to see a doctor

• New bumps or growths on or near the genitals or anus
• Warts that bleed, hurt, grow quickly or change in color
• Warts that come back after treatment
• Genital warts during pregnancy

Common questions about genital warts

What do early-stage genital warts look like?

Genital warts don’t have set stages, but new ones are often tiny, flat or slightly raised bumps the same color as your skin. They can feel a little rough and are easy to miss. Over weeks to months, some grow or cluster into a cauliflower shape, while others shrink or fade.

Do genital warts hurt?

Usually not. Most cause no pain, though some itch or feel sore when rubbed by clothing or during sex. They don’t cause fever. Painful sores, blisters or a fever along with genital bumps point to another infection, so see a doctor.

How can you tell genital warts from herpes?

Warts are painless bumps that stay until treated or until the body clears them. Herpes causes painful blisters that break open into sores and heal within a few weeks, often after a burning or tingling feeling. A doctor can usually tell them apart and can swab a sore to test for herpes.

Can genital warts come back years later?

It’s possible but uncommon. Most people’s immune system clears or controls HPV within a year or two. Warts many years later may come from the old virus waking up, often when the immune system is weaker, or from a new exposure. Either way, a doctor can confirm it’s a wart and treat it.

Questions to ask your doctor

• Are these genital warts, or something else?
• Which treatment is best for me, and how many sessions might I need?
• Should I be tested for other sexually transmitted infections?
• Is it too late for me to get the HPV vaccine?
• What should I tell my partner?

Learn more

• Genital warts (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine)
• About genital HPV infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

This guide is general information and doesn’t replace advice from your own doctor. Last updated October 2026.