Human papillomavirus (HPV) it's one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted diseases (STD's). There are 6.2 million new cases of sexually transmitted HPV each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There are actually more than 100 different types of HPV. Most of the types are harmless and go unnoticed. There are however 30 types of HPV that are spread through sexual contact. They are classified in two ways: low risk and high risk. Men and women can get genital warts, which is the only symptom of HPV. Females can get these warts inside the vagina, cervix, anus and vulva, these are usually considered low risk types. High-risk types of HPV may cause a woman to experience an abnormal Pap test result and the abnormal cells can lead to cancers of the anus, cervix, vagina or vulva. Men are more likely not to know they have HPV and are less likely to be detected early if they have the high-risk kind. The reason most does not know they have HPV is because there are no symptoms other than the warts and not all who are infected have the warts. Those who do have the warts are not always aware they have them because they are painless and are hidden from detection.

More About The Warts:

Most warts that are detected are found by touch or seen by a medical professional. There are even common warts such as those seen on the hands and soles of the feet that are actually caused by some types of HPV. These types of HPV do not cause genital warts. Genital warts are very contagious. They can be passed on when the infected person has oral, vaginal or anal sex with another person. You can also get them by skin-to-skin contact. Once the contagious contact has happened the newly infected partner will develop the warts usually within 3 months of the contact. Women are seen with warts on the outside and inside of the vagina, the opening of the uterus, which is called the cervix, and also around the anus. Men will notice warts around the anus, on the tip of their penis, the shaft of the penis, or the scrotum. You can have the HPV virus without have any warts. Genital warts are painless. It is rare, for this to happen but warts have occurred in the mouth and throat of a person who has had oral sex with a person who in invested with HPV.

Diagnosis

A health care provider will diagnose HPV by seeing genital warts, or by taking a HPV DNA test. Most women who have annual Pap Smear Tests can also discover the possibility of HPV by having an abnormal Pap test result. If an abnormal result is obtained, the physician will then run the HPV DNA test. Early detection is best with any sexually transmitted disease. Men are less likely than women to detect the HPV virus early because they do not have an annual test like the Pap that could detect it. Without symptoms men are not likely to know or detect the HPV without the appearance of warts to warn them.