Basic Truths About Genital Warts - Facts and Fiction
Myths and Facts about Genital warts
- Myth: You cannot spread the virus when you don't have symptoms.
Fact: Your sex partner can have the infection and not show any symptoms and will still spread the virus to you.
That is how the majority of people acquire the virus. - Myth: A person will always know when they have the infection.
Fact: The virus can be alive and active in someone's body for a long time without manifesting any outward symptoms.
A big number of people don't even know they are infected and will infect other people. - Myth: You can get the virus from a toilet seatTruth: There is no known fact that this can happen.
The virus dies quickly when it is exposed to open air. - Myth: when you are infected with genital warts you can never have sex again.
Truth: You can still have sex again but you will require putting on a condom to protect your partner from infection.
The best advice is always to avoid sexual contact until you are cured of the condition.
Even when the warts are not visible you can still spread the virus.
Talking to your doctor will shed more light on this.
- Myth: You cannot spread the virus to other body partsTruth: The truth is that the virus spreads through skin to skin contact.
This makes it possible for you to spread the virus to other body parts if you touch the warts and fail to wash your hands correctly.
Avoid contact with the warts and if you do wash your hands immediately.
- Myth: Genital warts can make you sterile.
Truth: It is not true that you can become sterile after infection with the HPV virus, although there are other sexually transmitted diseases that can cause sterility.
When you have the infection you may need to ask the doctor to test you for any other STIs as well. - Myth: Cold sores on the lip are a sign of the diseaseTruth: Cold sores are not necessarily a sign that you are infected.
But if you have been involved in oral sex with someone then you have sores on your mouth you may want to find out the truth behind the sores. - Myth: You can't have children if you have genital wartsTruth: You can have children after infection, even though your baby will be at a very high risk of contracting the HPV virus during the birth process.
His can happen whether you have visible warts or not as long as you are infected.
During labor the doctors will examine you and if they find the warts are in the vaginal canal they may opt for a caesarean section to reduce the possibility of the child getting the infection.
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