Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). HPV has different kinds of strains. Your risk for one or multiple strains of HPV increase with the more sexual partners either you or your partner have had. 

HPV is predominately the cause for cervical cancer. Visit the HPV and Pap page to learn how Pap Smear screening can reduce your risk of developing cervical cancer. Learn more here.

MANIFESTATION & TREATMENT

HPV can manifest as warts in the genital area. Warts usually appear as a single bump, or a group of bumps in the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower.

Phoenix Women’s Clinic providers use Cryotherapy to treat external warts. Since the HPV virus is not limited to the wart alone, it is important to freeze the wart and the area around it. There is no way to know the exact area of skin infected by HPV, and HPV may still be present after the wart removal. Therefore, it is still possible to transmit HPV to another individual.