Removing Genital Warts During Pregnancy
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HPV
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Genital warts are one of the most common forms of sexually transmitted diseases. They are caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. That is the same virus that is linked to cervical cancer. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause genital warts to multiply and increase in size, according to the University of Illinois's McKinley Health Center. The warts might also become harder and suffer bleeding. Infants born to a woman with genital warts can develop growths in the throat, although this is rare.
Surgery
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According to the Mayo Clinic, some medications used to remove genital warts, such as podophyllin and podofilox, are not recommended for pregnant women, and surgery to remove the warts might be advised.
There are a variety of ways for the genital warts to be surgically removed. Genital warts can be frozen with liquid nitrogen. This may take several treatments. Another way to remove the warts is by using electrical currents to burn them off, which is called electrocautery. Laser treatment can be used in extreme cases, yet is more expensive, according to the Mayo Clinic. Doctors can also remove the genital warts by cutting off the growths while the patient is under local anesthesia.
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Labor
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In some cases, where the genital warts block the birth canal, the doctor might choose to perform a cesarean section delivery. According to the United States Department of Heath and Human Services, in rare cases a pregnant woman with active genital warts can pass the HPV virus to her newborn child during a vaginal birth.
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- Photo Credit A. Johnson
