Health & Medical STDs Sexual Health & Reproduction

Genital Warts Test is Essential Before Taking on Any Treatment

There are various ways to conduct a genital warts test.
Checking visually is the most common method.
This method relies on the fact that genital warts infection will produce physical signs which can be seen by the naked eye.
But this is not always true.
HPV infection does not always produce physical signs.
In these circumstances, other testing methods can be used to test genital warts.
Magnification of the suspected region (colposcopy) can be helpful to detect abnormalities that can be seen otherwise.
It is done to locate less visible warts present in the cervix or the anus.
This test becomes more effective if a stain is applied to the suspected area, making the warts more visible.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test can be done on a sample taken from this area.
The pelvic examination of women can also reveal abnormal growths on the walls of vagina or cervix.
The warts can also be made more visible by treating the cervix with dilute acetic acid (dilute vinegar).
A Pap smear can also be a good genital warts test to detect HPV infection.
This test screens the cervix for abnormal cell growth.
Even if there are no visible warts, the Pap test may give positive indications of HPV infection.
Treatment may follow if the doctor finds areas on cervix showing abnormal tissue.
The above tests are generally useful for women.
There is no such screening test to identify the presence of HPV infection in men.
Men with HIV infection are more susceptible to catch the HPV infection as well.
Those who receive anal sex also need to go through a Pap test periodically.
A more certain form of genital warts test is to check for HPV DNA.
This can identify the high-risk types of HPV which can become a cause of cervical cancer.
This can be performed as a screening test for women over the age of 30.
If the Pap test shows slightly abnormal results, the same test becomes necessary.
It is always advisable for women to have regular examinations of the pelvis and the Pap test.
This can be helpful in detecting any vaginal or cervical changes resulting from genital warts.
Even the early signs of such an infection can also be detected.
The recommended frequency of such test is at least once a year after you are 21.
After the age of 30, this can be reduced to once every three years.
You can set a schedule for yourself with the advise of your doctor.
If you have ever had this problem, you need a more frequent genital warts test.
You are just trying to be safe from the consequences of neglecting the problem.
As it is always said, prevention is better than cure.
Genital warts can not be diagnosed through any blood test or swab test.

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