Genital warts are one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STI). It can also be called HPV, since genital warts are a form of the Human Papilloma Virus. Genital warts are spread during vaginal, anal or oral sex, when an area of infected skin makes contact with healthy skin.
However, warts on the hands and feet do not cause genital warts. Hand and feet warts are caused by a different common HPV infection, while genital warts are only spread and caught through sexual contact.
If someone contracts HPV, the physical symptoms of genital warts usually take about three weeks to six months to show up. But the delay may be even longer, and for some people with the virus, warts never develop at all.
