Most do not associate sexually transmitted diseases with kids. Unfortunately our kids do suffer from adults who contract sexually transmitted diseases through association. An example of Association is being exposed to the HPV through contact with diseased tissue. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. HPV - human papilloma Virus is one cause of cervical cancer and should be taken seriously by those who are sexually active or who are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases and are now or may become pregnant.

HPV is extremely contagious through skin-to-skin contact as well as by sexual contact. HPV's one noticeable sign are the appearance of genital warts. Not all genital warts can be seen. Some of these warts are inside the vagina, cervix or anus of infected women. These women can become pregnant after or during exposure to HPV. Warts will appear within 3 months of HPV infection. During pregnancy your immune system gets suppressed, making the pregnant woman more susceptible to viral infections such as HPV. This causes genital warts during pregnancy to grow quicker and larger. The pregnant woman will experience difficulty urinating if the warts have affected the urinary tract.

Genital warts are like regular warts that appear on hands and the soles of feet but they are contained to the genital areas of male and female individuals. These genital areas include: anus - inside and outside; in and around the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis and scrotum.

Genital warts are painless; appear as moist, flesh-colored raised growths that may resemble a cauliflower. Genital warts are spread by having direct contact that is sexual in nature through the anus, or vagina or by having oral sex. It is very difficult for sexual partners to know if they themselves or their partners have HPV as warts are not always visible. Pregnant women cannot assure themselves of being with a safe partner if they have sex with someone who has had previous sexual partners.

The vagina is an important organ to pregnancy and delivery. HPV can be transmitted from the pregnant mom-to-be to her unborn child by way of these genital warts that may be inside her vagina. The threat of passing HPV on through the genital warts are minimal, but it does exist. The genital warts can obstruct the vaginal passage used during normal vaginal birth because during pregnancy these warts can enlarge. As the baby passes by the warts that are in the vagina, there could be skin-to-skin contact between the baby and the vaginal warts.

Should your baby become infected with HPV during the passage through the vagina during delivery, there may appear genital warts or there may be warts on the throat which is known as laryngeal papillomatosis.

Laryngeal papillomatosis is a rare disease that is caused by HPV infection. The two types of virus that are associated with this disease are: HPV 6 and HPV 11. The growths or warts from this disease grow rapidly and vary in size. When they grow in number and size they may affectively block the air passageway. This makes it difficult for your child to breathe when sleeping and they can also experience difficulty in swallowing.

Testing for Laryngeal papillomatosis

There are two tests that can be conducted to determine if your child is suffering from this disease. The first one is indirect laryngoscopy. This procedure is done in the office by a speech-language pathologist or by the child's doctor. A small mirror is placed in the back of the throat and is angled to see down towards where the larynx is. The second test is the direct laryngoscopy and is performed in the operating room. General anesthesia is used for this procedure. This procedure allows the doctor to directly view the vocal cord folds and other parts of the larynx using high magnification. Samples of tissue may also be taken during the procedure. These samples are then examined to determine their constitution and to identify the existence of HPV.