Genital HPV and Pregnancy
Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common STI that usually has no symptoms, though it may cause genital warts. In most cases, the virus clears up on its own, though it may persist for life. (F-IPV includes more than 100 different strains, over a third of which infect the genital tract. Some strains are called “high risk” because they increase a woman’s chances of developing genital cancers, but most genital warts are caused by the “low-risk” HPV strains.) Genital warts usually show up in or around the vagina, near the anus and in the rectum, and on the cervix. (You can also get warts in your mouth and throat from performing oral sex on an infected partner, but it’s less common.) The warts are skin-colored or a little lighter and can be small or large, single or multiple, sometimes growing in clusters with a cauliflower-like appearance. Your practitioner can usually diagnose genital warts simply by looking at them.
The warts are often painless (though they may occasionally itch, burn, or bleed), and in most cases they won’t pose any problems for mother or baby. They do tend to grow during pregnancy, though, possibly from the extra vaginal discharge that provides the virus with a moist growing environment. In certain cases, your practitioner may offer to remove them with a mild acid solution. But unless your warts are so large or numerous that they block your birth canal or there’s a concern that they’ll bleed excessively, you can still have a normal vaginal birth whether they’re treated or not. (What’s more, they often improve on their own or even disappear altogether after delivery.) Though HPV can be transmitted to your baby during birth and lead to a serious condition characterized by warts on his vocal cords and other areas, this is extremely rare. Having a c-section doesn’t seem to offer a baby complete protection from the virus, anyway, so your birth won’t be managed any differently than it would have been if you ware HPV-free.
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