Vaginal warts are known to be the most common type of sexually transmitted infection. They may appear like small bumps on the skin of the vagina or may have a cauliflower-like appearance.
Vaginal warts are a type of genital warts, also known as condyloma acuminatum.
Causes:
Vaginal warts are caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV. There are more than 40 strains of HPV that could affect the genital region.
Vaginal warts are transmitted sexually and can be contracted through skin-to-skin genital contact, like vaginal sex or anal sex.
Risk factors: The following factors could increase the risk of developing vaginal warts in women:
Vaginal warts may be associated with the following symptoms:
If the vaginal warts are not causing any discomfort, you may not need any treatment. But, if you have symptoms like burning, pain, itching, or are concerned about the spread of infection, you may need to get treated.
However, genital warts tend to recur after treatment and there is no specific treatment for the virus itself.
The possible treatments for vaginal warts include:
1. Medications: Certain topical medications can be applied directly to the skin over warts and may include the following:
2. Surgery: Larger warts may need surgical removal. Surgery may also be needed in cases of warts that do not respond to medications, or if you are pregnant and your baby can be exposed to warts during delivery. The different surgical methods for vaginal warts removal include:
3. Cryotherapy: This procedure involves freezing warts using liquid nitrogen by causing a blister to form around the wart. As the skin heals, the lesion will slough off and allow the appearance of new skin. The treatment may need to be repeated.
4. Electrocautery: An electrical current is used in this procedure to burn off warts.
5. Surgical excision: The doctor may use special medical tools to cut off warts. The procedure may be done under local anesthesia (the treatment area is numbed) or general anesthesia (the patient is put to sleep during the procedure).
6. Laser treatments: An intense beam of light may be used to remove extensive and other vaginal warts which may be tough to treat using other treatment approaches.
Untreated vaginal warts may lead to the following complications:
The side effects of vaginal wart removal using surgical methods may include:
Prevention-
If a woman is sexually active, she can take the following steps to protect herself from getting or spreading HPV, vaginal warts, and other types of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs):
The following home remedies may help in the treatment of vaginal warts:
The cost of vaginal wart removal in Mumbai is between INR 20,000 to INR 30,000.
The cost of vaginal wart removal in Delhi is between INR 15,000 to INR 25,000.
The cost of vaginal wart removal in Bangalore is between INR 15,000 to INR 25,000.
The cost of vaginal wart removal in Chennai is between INR 12,000 to INR 22,000.