HPV and genital warts in pregnancy

This lesson is part of the WARTES HPV Masterclass. Preview: the first part of the narration.

You are pregnant, and you have HPV. Maybe new warts appeared, or old ones started to grow. Is HPV more dangerous in pregnancy? Can the warts be treated? Will the virus pass to your baby? Can you have a vaginal birth? In this video, I answer these questions.

In pregnancy, the immune system does not become weak; it works in a different way, to protect the baby. Because of this, warts can appear for the first time, or existing warts can grow and multiply. This does not happen in every pregnancy.

And after the birth, we often see the warts shrink, and sometimes disappear by themselves. High-risk HPV types can cause cell changes in the cervix. In pregnancy, these changes can continue, but pregnancy does not clearly increase the risk of them turning into cancer, and many of them regress after the birth.

HPV test, Pap test, colposcopy, and even a biopsy can be done in pregnancy, when needed. If there is no suspicion of cancer, we follow the changes closely, and treat them after the birth. Genital warts can be treated with CO2 laser during pregnancy.

We especially treat warts that grow, bleed, bother you, or may affect the birth canal. But not every wart in pregnancy needs to be treated right away.

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