A Pap smear, or Pap test, checks for changes in the cervix. The cervix is located at the lower part of the uterus and opens into the vagina. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services explains that a Pap smear can help detect the earliest signs of disease such as cervical cancer as well as diseases such as human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause genital warts.
Transmission
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most common way to contract HPV is through oral, vaginal or anal sex with a person who has HPV. FamilyDoctor.org warns that it is possible for a person to have HPV without actually having signs or symptoms of the disease because it can have a very long dormancy period.
Types
More than 70 types of HPV exist, several of which cause genital warts. Other forms of HPV can cause precancerous cervical changes known as dysplasia, which can often lead to cervical cancer or anal cancer. These are high-risk types of HPV.
Identification
Genital warts can be flat or raised and often appear as flesh-colored cauliflower-like growths, according to the National Institutes of Health. When genital warts appear on the outer genitalia such as the folds of skin around the vagina or anus, they are often easier to detect. However, genital warts can form inside the vagina, on the cervix and inside the anus, and they are often only detected during a Pap smear. It is rare for a woman to experience any other symptoms.
Testing
When to begin having a Pap smear depends upon a woman's age, health history and whether she is sexually active. Women who are not sexually active should begin having a Pap smear at approximately age 21 and receive one every two years. Women 30 or older who have had normal Pap smears every year for three years in a row can often talk to their physicians about having a the test every three years. Women 65 and older can discuss discontinuing Pap smears, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Treatments
The Mayo Clinic explains that approximately 30 percent of genital warts go away without treatment. If a person does not want to wait, there are medications that can help destroy the wart's tissue as well as boost the body's immune system to help fight the infection. In cases where the warts are larger, patients might need to resort to surgical options such as freezing the wart or burning it off with a laser.
