Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus. Most sexually active people in the United States (U.S.) will have HPV at some time in their lives. There are more than 40 types of HPV that are passed on through sexual contact. These types can infect the genital areas of men, including the skin on and around the penis or anus. They can also infect the mouth and throat.

    *  About 1% of sexually active men in the U.S. have genital warts at any one time.
    *  Each year in the U.S. there are about:
    *  800 men who get HPV-related penile cancer
    *  1100 men who get HPV-related anal cancer 
        
Note:  although HPV is associated with some head and neck cancers, most of these cancers are related to smoking and heavy drinking.

Anal and genital warts are caused by a virus that lives in the skin.  Once you have the virus it can stay in your body for several years, but that doesn't mean you'll keep getting warts. 

A few weeks or many months after infection very small growths (the size of a pinhead to begin with) appear on their own or in groups.  They:

    * grow mostly on the head of your penis, testicles, groin, and thighs and in and around your anus (butt)
    * might appear in your mouth, on your face or on other parts of your body
    * warts may be raised, flat, or cauliflower-shaped as they spread and get bigger.  They usually do not hurt
    * are lighter in color than the surrounding skin
    * may itch and warts in the anus can bleed

Most men who get HPV (of any type) never develop any symptoms or health problems. But some types of HPV can cause genital warts. Other types can cause penile, anal, or head and neck cancers. The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are not the same as the types that can cause cancer.

Warts are usually passed on when someone's skin touches another person's warts; this can happen during sex:

    * Anal sex: topping or bottoming
    * Oral sex: sucking or being sucked
    * Rimming (Oral-anal sex)
    * Masturbating (giving someone a hand job) or fingering someone with blisters on their penis or in their anal canal (butt)

It is also possible for the virus to be passed on when no warts are on the skin.

Partners usually share HPV. If you have been with your partner for a long time, you probably have HPV already. Most sexually active adults will have HPV at some time in their lives. Men with healthy immune systems rarely develop health problems from HPV.

Condoms may lower your chances of getting HPV or developing HPV-related diseases, if used with every sex act, from start to finish, but not having sex is the only sure way to avoid HPV.

If your sex partner has genital warts, you should avoid having sex until the warts are gone or removed. You should check for any abnormalities on your penis and on his penis, such as genital warts.

A person can have HPV for many years before it is found or causes health problems. So there is no way to know if your partner gave you HPV, or if you gave HPV to your partner. HPV should not be seen as a sign that you or your partner is having sex outside of your relationship.

You can stop warts being passed on by:

    * using a condom when having anal sex (topping or bottoming)
    * covering the affected area with a latex barrier during sex until the warts have been treated.

The surest way to prevent genital warts is to abstain from sexual contact or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with only one sex partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected. Avoiding alcohol and drug use may also help prevent transmission of genital warts because these activities may lead to risky sexual behavior.  It is also important that you have good communication with your sex partners. 

Remember that HPV is spread by skin-to-skin contact.  Therefore, even using a condom does not protect you from HPV if the condom does not cover the wart or the area on the skin where the virus is located. 

Because HPV is so common and usually invisible, the only sure way to prevent it is not to have sexual contact. Even people with only one lifetime sex partner can get HPV, if their partner was infected with HPV.

If you have genital warts you must be seen by a doctor.  The sooner warts are treated, the easier they are to get rid of, so it's a good idea to check your penis regularly for warts.

Treatments are:

    * freezing the warts with liquid nitrogen
    * removing warts through surgery
    * taking a medicine
    * using a cream

It can take several trips to the clinic to get rid of warts.  You may be given cream to put on the warts at home.  If other treatments don't work, warts can be removed surgically or by laser, but this isn't common.

The wart virus lives in the body even when the warts have gone.  So they can come back and need treating again.  If you have HIV, warts can be harder to treat. 

The HPV vaccine (Gardasil) works by preventing four common HPV types, two that cause genital warts and two that cause some cancers. It protects against new HPV infections; it does not cure existing HPV infections or disease (like genital warts). It is most effective when given before first sexual contact (i.e., before he may be exposed to HPV).

Some men may benefit more from this vaccine than others.

*  Males who have not yet had sex will benefit most from the vaccine, since they are unlikely to have been infected with HPV.  Young sexually active men may also benefit from the vaccine, but they will get less benefit from it if they have already been infected with HPV.
*  Young men who have sex with men might benefit more from this vaccine, especially if they have had few or no partners prior to vaccination, since they are more likely to develop HPV-related diseases than other men.

The HPV vaccine is very safe and effective, with no serious side effects. The most common side effect is soreness in the arm.

Info from CDC and THT

Page last updated:  02/05/13