HPV (Genital Warts) During Pregnancy

If your doctor has diagnosed you with HPV (human papilloma virus), you're in crowded company. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., affecting about 79 million Americans, with an estimated 14 million newly infected every year.

It's so prevalent that almost every sexually active person who isn't vaccinated will become infected at some point. While there's no treatment for HPV itself, there are ways to prevent some of the complications that the virus causes.

Here's what you need to know about HPV if you're pregnant and have the infection.

What are the symptoms of HPV?

Because HPV rarely causes any symptoms, most people don't even know they have the infection. Other people, however, find out that they have HPV when they develop genital warts — flesh-colored bumps that can be flat or raised, like cauliflower.

Sometimes, these bumps can be large; other times, they can be so small that you can't see them. Although they usually appear anywhere in the genital or anal areas, rarely, they can appear in the mouth or throat.

Genital warts often go away on their own, but they can also be treated by a doctor.

Can HPV affect your pregnancy?

It's unlikely that HPV will affect your pregnancy in any major way, especially if you had genital warts in the past that went away or were treated. Occasionally, however, surging pregnancy hormones can cause the warts to bleed or increase in size, making it hard to pee (not the kind of thing a pregnant woman with an overactive bladder wants to hear!).

While neither scenario poses any real threat to you or your baby, in rare instances, warts that lie inside the vaginal wall can grow large enough to obstruct the birth canal (and baby's pathway out) and make it less elastic.

In these cases, a C-section might be necessary, although it's more likely that your practitioner will opt to remove the warts, perhaps through freezing, electrical heat or laser therapy.

Keep in mind that if you had an abnormal Pap smear before you became pregnant, your practitioner may decide to do another Pap smear or a colposcopy during your pregnancy. If the Pap smear or colposcopy is abnormal, your doctor might recommend a biopsy of your cervix (this can be done even during pregnancy, and poses very little risk to your baby). 

Can you transmit HPV to your baby during childbirth?

The odds of transmitting HPV to your baby is also very low — and even then, most children (like most adults) clear the virus on their own. There is, however, an extremely rare chance (about 1 in 50,000), that your little one could develop laryngeal papillomatosis, a benign growth in the throat that can be removed by a specialist.

One final note: The strain of HPV that causes genital warts is not the same one that causes cancers. If you have a different form of HPV (and there are more than 100 types!), you should talk to your practitioner about getting regular Pap smears postpartum. But during your pregnancy and childbirth, you and your baby are at very little risk.

If you haven't already had the HPV vaccine, it isn't recommended during pregnancy. But talk to your doctor about whether you should be vaccinated after the baby is born (and before you start trying to get pregnant the next time, if that's in your future). 

Good luck!