Patient's question:
My wife has recently developed some small growths near her vaginal opening for no apparent reason. At first, they were slightly pink, but now they have turned white. She doesn't feel any discomfort, and the affected area is painless, itchy, and odorless. What could this be? Should she see a doctor? What kind of medication should she take?Doctor's answer:
Hello, genital warts are a sexually transmitted disease caused by the infection of the human papillomavirus (HPV), leading to squamous epithelial hyperplastic lesions. The incidence rate is second only to gonorrhea. Pathogenic factors: Genital warts are primarily associated with low-risk HPV 6 and 11 infections. Early sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, low immunity, smoking, and high hormone levels are also high-risk factors for the disease. Transmission mainly occurs through sexual transmission. Clinical symptoms: Itching, burning pain, or dyspareunia after sexual intercourse, mainly occurring on the posterior wall of the labia majora, inner side of the labia minora, vaginal vestibule, urethral orifice, and other areas. Pregnant patients: Before 36 weeks of pregnancy, if the lesion is small and located on the external genitalia, local drug treatment is recommended. The medication of choice is benzoin tincture, applied once a week. If the lesion is large and pedunculated, physical therapy and surgical treatment should be performed, such as laser, microwave, cryotherapy, and electrocautery. Large lesions can be directly surgically excised. Both partners should be treated simultaneously. If the disease is diagnosed at full term of pregnancy, and the lesion is localized, cryotherapy and surgery can be performed. If the lesion is large, a cesarean section is recommended to avoid infecting the fetus. Some genital warts may naturally regress after childbirth.