There is serious concern amongst sexual health experts about the rise in cases of genital warts; affecting the genitalia of both sexes they can even infect the anus. These are transmitted by sexual intercourse, including orally, and are caused by a virus known as HPV (human papillomavirus). Genital warts are difficult to prevent even using safe sex techniques and it is quite probably that person who has them may be completely innocent as it is not always apparent that a person has them if they are internal.

Just to compound the problem, there is no reason why once infected a person is infected, they do not have to show signs straight away and the virus may not activate for months, even longer.This means the person who was infected starts infecting others as well. Ano-genital warts on male and female genitalia belong to a specific strain of human papillomavirus virus called HPV6 although there are now over 100 known types. Although outer warts can be easily seen, women who develop them inside their genitalia may not be seen until a doctor examines the site.

Genital warts often cause the area around them to become damp and this is an environment which aids their multiplication and can cause some discharge when located inside or around a woman's vagina. Generally, the favored method of wart removal is with the use of extremely cold liquid nitrogen which is applied to the skin over the course of a few treatments after which it will die. The use of liquid nitrogen is dependant on the location of the infected area; this is a painless procedure but must be performed by a doctor.

If liquid nitrogen cannot be used, medical professionals can use the latest laser treatment or alternatively the older but still successful, cauterization. All the treatments depend upon the location of the infection and even after they are removed, there is no guarantee they will not come up again. Designed to help a person's immune system to fight the infection as well as destroy them, imiquimod can be used on ano-genital warts as well but once again, it cannot guarantee re-infection will not occur (even while it is being administered).

While imiquimod is generally effective there are times when it is unsafe so a consultation with the doctor is advisable especially when a woman is expecting a baby,it also has restrictions on it's use inside the vagina and genitals or when the skin around the area is inflamed. Like all edications, imiquimod has side effects and if these are experienced it should be stopped immediately but this is worth discussing with your doctor prior to using it. Information provided here on genital warts is presented in good faith but is not intended nor can it replace the advice given by medical professionals.