Diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus and Genital Warts

Most people who have HPV infection have no symptoms. If a person has HPV with no symptoms, they can still pass HPV to another person. And, they can also still develop problems from the infection.

A health care provider can tell if you have genital warts by seeing them during a pelvic exam. Sometimes a woman can see them around her genital area herself. If you do have genital warts, you need to also have your provider check to make sure you don't have these warts on your cervix.

Genital warts can be very small and hard to see. During an exam, your provider may apply a vinegar-like solution to areas where she or he thinks you may have a problem. The vinegar causes the warts to turn white, making them easier to see. The provider may also do a procedure called a colposcopy, where an instrument is used to enlarge (magnify) the vagina and cervix to better see if there are any warts. A small sample of tissue from the cervix is taken and examined with a microscope to see very small warts or other problems. Another test your provider may do to see if you have HPV is a Pap test, which looks at tissue from the cervix for cancer or other problems.