Genital wart symptoms may be numerous and troubling or the patient can be totally asymptomatic. Genital warts, or condyloma acuminata, are small warty growths caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). The virus is sexually transmitted and the genital wart symptoms can appear in both men and women.
The most common complaint of a patient with genital warts is that of new bumps in the genital area that are not going away. In fact the complaint may be of genital bumps that are increasing in number. Frequently the genital warts will cause itching especially when they occur around the vagina or the anus. However many times the warts will be very small or cause no symptoms at all and go unnoticed by the patient. Occasionally the warty growths may appear in the mouth and throat of patients having oral sex.
Often no genital wart symptoms occur and the genital warts are diagnosed when the patient is undergoing a routine. At times genital warts are diagnosed after a sexual partner begins to have genital wart symptoms and is diagnosed by his or her physician. In women the diagnosis of genital warts is especially tricky since they may occur inside the vagina or on the cervix. The only genital wart symptom a woman may have is an abnormal report on her Pap smear.
Due to the frequent lack of genital wart symptoms in some patients it is important to be vigilant and have a high index of suspicion. It is important that sexually active patients have regular examinations and in women yearly Pap smears even if the previous ones have been normal. It is also important to try and prevent the spread of genital warts through vaccination for HPV and safe sex practices.