Can you still get genital warts if you use condoms?

What are genital warts?

Genital warts can be caused by some types of HPV (Human Papillomavirus), and can appear on the genital area, in and around the anus, and in some rare cases in the mouth or throat.

Genital warts can be tiny and hardly noticeable. You may mistake them for a zit, an ingrown pubic hair, or a harmless mole. Or they may appear as larger clusters or small, often cauliflower-shaped warts, or grow to huge sizes. 

Genital warts are most often spread by unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse, and using condoms is certainly a step that offers additional protection not just from HPV, but from many other kinds of horrible sexually transmitted diseases as well.

Genital warts are, of course, a sexually transmitted disease. Does that mean that you are safe from getting HPV and genital warts if you use condoms, thus practicing "safe sex"?

Do condoms protect you against genital warts?

Unfortunately, the answer is that condoms don't always prevent the spread of genital warts. That is because even if you practice safer sex and wear condoms every time or insist your partner does, it is still pretty inevitable to come into contact with portions of skin where genital warts can appear but that aren't covered by condoms.

Something interesting but unfortunate that you should also know about genital warts is that they don't always appear immediately. Months, and even years, can pass between the sexual contact that infected you with the type of HPV that causes genital warts, and the actual appearance of genital warts.

Because genital warts are often present on parts not covered by condoms, it is also possible to still get genital warts if your partner has them, even if you do use condoms. That's awkward, isn't it? This possibility sure makes the case for getting regular Pap Smears and other STD testing.

Some forms of HPV (not the one causing genital warts) have a link with cervical cancer, so this is especially important if you are a woman.

If you do get genital warts, don't immediately assume they came from your most recent partner or that your partner has been unfaithful. They can, as we mentioned, appear even years after the infection occurred. In some rare and unfortunate cases, even your mouth and throat can be affected after oral sex with someone who had genital warts. Keep your eyes open, we say!

Should you suspect that you have genital warts or your partner does, see a doctor as soon as possible. Though the warts sometimes disappear on their own, you shouldn't count on that. There are many ways to treat genital warts, from having them frozen off, lasered off, burned off (with the help of eletrical treatments), or cut out, to using topical creams. 

Genital warts are embarrassing and unpleasant, but also common — and they do not have to be a life sentence.