Genital warts: symptoms, causes and treatment

Genital warts are growths on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are many types of HPV, and around 90% of genital warts are caused by two of them, types 6 and 11.

The types of HPV that cause warts are different from the types that cause cancer. It’s extremely rare for genital warts to turn into cancer.

Genital warts are one of the four most common STIs diagnosed in England, with 23,282 first diagnoses in 2025. That was 7.3% fewer than in 2024, and most of the fall was in people aged 24 and under, most of whom are protected directly or indirectly by the HPV vaccine programme.

Genital warts are usually small, rough lumps on the skin. They may:

• appear on their own or in groups, which can look like a cauliflower
• feel soft or firm
• be white, red, skin-coloured or darker than the skin around them

They’re usually up to 5 mm across. They can appear around the vagina, on the penis, around the anus and on the skin between the genitals and anus. Sometimes they appear inside the vagina or anus, on the cervix or at the opening of the urethra.

Genital warts don’t usually hurt. Sometimes they itch or bleed, and they can cause discomfort during sex or problems peeing.

Genital warts are passed on through skin-to-skin contact, including:

• vaginal and anal sex
• sharing sex toys
• oral sex, although this is rare

You don’t need to have penetrative sex to catch HPV, and it can pass on even when there are no warts to see. Condoms lower the risk, but they don’t cover all the skin around the genitals. You can’t get genital warts from kissing, or from sharing towels, cutlery, cups or toilet seats.

Warts can take months to appear, so they don’t always come from your most recent partner. UK guidelines say they typically take around 3 months to appear in women and 11 months in men, and sometimes more than a year. Read more in “Can I get genital warts if my partner has them?”

A doctor or nurse can usually tell whether a lump is a wart just by looking at it, sometimes with a magnifier. If a lump looks unusual, bleeds or doesn’t respond to treatment, they may take a small sample of skin to test (a biopsy).

There’s no blood test for genital warts or HPV. Cervical screening checks for the high-risk types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer, not the types that cause warts.

Not every lump is a wart. Pearly penile papules and Fordyce spots are normal, and Molluscum contagiosum can look similar. Read more in “Are pearly penile papules (PPP) a sign of an STI?”

Treatment isn’t always needed, and warts sometimes go away on their own within 6 months. If you’d like treatment, options include:

• creams or liquids you apply yourself, such as podophyllotoxin or imiquimod
• freezing (cryotherapy), which may need repeating several times
• removing the warts by cutting, heat or laser, after numbing the area

There’s no single best treatment, and it can take weeks or months to work.

Don’t use wart treatments from a pharmacy on genital warts, because they’re not made for them. Avoid sex until the warts have gone, or use a condom if you do have sex, and don’t have sex just after applying a cream, as some creams can weaken condoms and diaphragms. If you smoke, stopping can help treatment work better.

Warts can come back after any treatment, because the virus can stay in the skin after the warts have gone.

Most people’s bodies clear HPV within 2 years. UK guidance says around 70% of new HPV infections clear within a year and around 90% within 2 years.

A weakened immune system, for example from advanced HIV or an organ transplant, makes warts more likely, and smoking makes HPV harder to clear.

Yes, if you have it before you’re exposed to the wart types. Since September 2012, the HPV vaccine used in the UK has protected against types 6 and 11, as well as the main types linked to cervical cancer. In the UK:

• all children aged 12 to 13 are offered it
• girls, and boys born after 1 September 2006, can catch up until their 25th birthday
• gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men can have it up to and including the age of 45

Since the vaccine started protecting against warts, they’ve become much less common in young people. In England, the rate of first diagnoses of genital warts in women aged 15 to 24 fell by 89% between 2019 and 2025. The vaccine doesn’t treat warts you already have, but if you’re eligible you should still have it.

Genital warts are usually diagnosed by looking at them, but a swab test can help if you’re not sure what a lump is. Better2Know offers:

• Blemish Screen: tests two swabs from a lump, sore or blister for HPV, Herpes 1, Herpes 2 and Syphilis, with results in 5 days. You can book it at one of our clinics, have a nurse visit you or order a home test kit.
• Full Screen: if you’ve had sex without a condom, it tests for 7 infections, including HIV, Syphilis and Chlamydia, from 28 days after sex, with results in 3 days (5 days for the home test).

If you test before 45 days, a negative HIV result needs a repeat test. A Syphilis test in the first 3 months after sex can miss the infection, so you may need a repeat test. Not sure which test you need? Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Are genital warts a sign of cancer?

No. Most genital warts are caused by HPV types 6 and 11, which aren’t the types linked to cancer, and it’s extremely rare for warts to become cancer. If you have a cervix, keep going to cervical screening when you’re invited.

Can I have sex if I have genital warts?

It’s best to wait until the warts have gone. If you do have sex, use a condom, although it won’t cover all the skin, and avoid sex just after applying a wart cream.

Can genital warts affect pregnancy?

They’re not usually harmful, but they may grow during pregnancy and often go within 6 weeks of the birth. Passing them on to a baby is rare. Most creams aren’t recommended in pregnancy, so freezing or laser treatment is usually used instead.

Genital warts are common, usually painless and not a sign of cancer. They can be treated, they sometimes clear up on their own, and the HPV vaccine has made them much less common in young people.

If you’ve noticed a lump and aren’t sure what it is, book a Blemish Screen at a clinic near you or order a home test kit. Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Not in the UK? Choose your country from the selector at the top of the page for local tests and prices.

This article originally appeared on 11 August 2012 and was last updated on 1 October 2026.

This article is general information and not a substitute for personal medical advice.

Sources

1. NHS, Genital warts, reviewed 10 July 2023. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/genital-warts/
2. NHS, Human papillomavirus (HPV), reviewed 10 March 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/human-papilloma-virus-hpv/
3. NHS, HPV vaccine, reviewed 1 September 2023. https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/hpv-vaccine/
4. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, National guideline for the management of anogenital warts in adults, 2024. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/agw_2024.pdf
5. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, Anogenital warts: patient information leaflet, August 2024. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/wart_pil_mobilepdf_01.pdf
6. UK Health Security Agency, Human papillomavirus (HPV): the green book, chapter 18a, updated 20 June 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/human-papillomavirus-hpv-the-green-book-chapter-18a
7. UK Health Security Agency, Sexually transmitted infections and screening for chlamydia in England: 2025 report, 2 June 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables/sexually-transmitted-infections-and-screening-for-chlamydia-in-england-2025-report
8. Cancer Research UK, Does HPV cause cancer?, reviewed 24 January 2024. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/infections-hpv-and-cancer/hpv-and-cancer
9. NHS, What is cervical screening?, reviewed 26 June 2025. https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/cervical-screening/what-is-cervical-screening/