Diagnosis of Venereal Warts

When the warts are large, they are easy to diagnose. Sometimes, however, warts can be small and may be mistaken for a skin tag or scar. Some physicians do apply acetic acid (vinegar like solution) to the genitals. This immediately whitens the warts and one can view the warty like structure under a microscope. It is extremely rare for a wart to be cut out for diagnosis.

For women, when a wart is identified, several other tests are also important. Because Warts are associated with the human Papilloma virus and known to cause cervical cancer, women need a pap test.

The Pap test is a fancy word for taking scrapings (swabs) from the cervix and looking at them underneath a microscope. Pap tests are generally recommended for all women within 3 years after having started sex or at the age of 21-whichever comes first. After the age of 30, pap tests are infrequent if one has had all previous tests which were normal.

Women who have venereal warts need to have a pap tests every 3-6 months depending on the severity of changes in the cervix.