Anogenital warts are diagnosed during a physical examination during a consultation with a health professional. It is not for men or women, reliable test that enables detection of anogenital warts. You may have anogenital warts even if you do not see them. They may be small or in a place where they are not visible, as inside the vagina or rectum.

Do I need a Pap test if I am not sexually active or if I am monogamous?

Women who are not currently sexually active or who are beyond childbearing age may believe they do not need to undergo Pap tests regularly, but this is false. It is important to continue to undergo regular Pap tests, because HPV can become active many years after an infection has occurred. For the same reason, monogamous women who may feel that the risk of contracting HPV is low should also have regular Pap tests. Talk to a health professional to see what is recommended in your case.

What happens if the results of your Pap test are abnormal?

If the Pap smear reveals abnormal cells, the health professional must determine what to do given the type of changes in cells. The health professional may simply follow you to see if other changes occur or request further investigation. This could include repeat Pap tests, screening for HPV DNA (when indicated, the test is available and is among the recommendations provincial or territorial) or a referral to a colposcopist to consider the cells of your cervix using specialized equipment.

We may make minor biopsies of the uterine tissue to determine the extent of cellular abnormality. Cryotherapy (cold application), electro (using an electric current) or laser surgery may be necessary to remove the abnormal cells. The decision on how to handle the situation due to many factors, including the degree of abnormality revealed by the Pap test.

Can we treat HPV?

Although HPV infection does not heal, warts, lesions and precancerous or cancerous changes caused by the virus manage or deal. No treatment can ensure that the body is rid of HPV infection.

Some treatments indicated against anogenital warts as cryotherapy (remove warts by freezing them), are followed in a clinic or doctor's office while others, such as prescription creams, can be administered in itself. It often takes repeated treatments. Failure to see the wart does not mean that HPV infection is eliminated, the virus may remain present, which means that you may develop warts in the absence of further exposure to the virus. For most people, warts disappear on their own over time.

The lesions and precancerous changes caused by HPV types at high risk can be treated if health care providers believe that this is necessary. Many of these infections can be removed without treatment. A small number only at high risk of infections become cancers. Like many other cancers, early detection is a key factor for treatment that is working.

You should discuss treatment options with a health professional to determine what is the best choice of treatment in each case. Immunocompromised persons, particularly those who are HIV positive, may require special care.

How to protect against HPV?

To reduce the risk of HPV infection, always use a condom during sexual intercourse. Although condoms do not eliminate the risk of infection, use a condom consistently and correctly during vaginal, anal and oral hygiene will reduce the likelihood of getting HPV or transmitted to its partner . Remember that a condom protects only the area it covers so it is possible to be infected by uncovered warts (for example, on the scrotum).

Using a condom can also protect against other sexually transmitted infections and reduce the likelihood of unwanted pregnancies.

Other ways to reduce the risk of infection include the postponement of sexual activity later (wait to be older), limit the number of sexual partners and take account of his sexual history partners because it may constitute a risk to themselves (eg. if the partners have previously had multiple partners).

Regarding women, it is possible to avoid the four types of HPV most commonly through vaccination. This is important because there is no treatment that can cure an HPV infection.Vaccines against HPV are under development for many years, and one of them has recently been approved for use in Canada (July 11, 2006).

This vaccine protects against infection in the case of the four types of HPV most common (types 6, 11, 16 and 18). There is currently studying the possibility of using vaccines against HPV in men. For more information on the vaccine against HPV, see fact sheet Preventing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and against HPV.