Genital warts during pregnancy are usually harmless to the baby and often need no treatment. Several home wart creams aren't safe in pregnancy, so a clinician removes warts in-office when needed — typ
At-home HPV test kits use a self-collected vaginal swab that you mail to a lab for high-risk HPV testing — and newly FDA-cleared options work much like a clinician-collected sample for cervical screen
Cervical screening checks the cervix for high-risk HPV or precancerous cell changes before they ever become cancer. Current US guidance starts at age 21 (or 25 with primary HPV testing) and runs throu
Yes, you can still get HPV even when you use condoms correctly every time. Condoms cover only part of the genital skin, and HPV spreads through skin-to-skin contact — so any uncovered area can pass th
No, HPV itself can't be cured — there's no drug that clears the virus from your body. But it usually doesn't need curing: in most cases your immune system clears it on its own, and the warts or precan
In most people, HPV lasts under two years and clears on its own — about 9 out of 10 infections disappear within that window without causing any health problems CDC. An infection that persists past rou
HPV (human papillomavirus) is the most common sexually transmitted infection, a family of more than 200 viruses spread by genital skin contact. Low-risk types cause genital warts; high-risk types can
A Pap smear and an HPV test are two different cervical screens. A Pap smear looks at cervical cells under a microscope for abnormal changes; an HPV test checks the same kind of sample for the high-ris
A positive HPV test with no symptoms is normal and usually not an emergency. Most genital HPV infections cause no warts, no pain, and no visible change at all, and in most cases the virus clears on it
Yes — you can get HPV more than once. Clearing one HPV type leaves you partially immune to that type, but not to the dozens of others you haven't met yet. So a new infection with a different type, or
Tell your partner you have HPV in a calm, private moment, and lead with the facts: HPV is the most common STI, most infections clear on their own within about two years, and the types that cause warts
HPV wart removal means clearing the visible bumps caused by low-risk HPV types — either with a prescription cream you apply at home or a procedure your clinician does in the office, like freezing. Nei
Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen) treatment usually runs about a week and a half: doxycycline first, then a second antibiotic chosen by whether the strain resists macrolides. Many people carry it with no s
Partners of someone diagnosed with Mycoplasma genitalium should generally be tested rather than treated blindly. Current CDC guidance supports testing and treating the partners of symptomatic patients
Mgen reinfection happens when you get re-exposed to Mycoplasma genitalium after a cure — usually through an untreated partner who passes it back — rather than the original infection never clearing. Tr
Mycoplasma genitalium often causes no symptoms in women, but when it does, the most common signs are cervicitis-related: unusual vaginal discharge, bleeding between periods or after sex, pain during i
A Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen) test of cure is a repeat NAAT done 3-4 weeks after you finish treatment to confirm the bacterium is gone. It matters because macrolide resistance now causes the standard
There's no good evidence that Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen) reliably infects or causes disease in the throat. This bug is a urogenital pathogen — it's established in the urethra and cervix, but pharyng
Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen) and chlamydia are both bacterial infections that cause urethritis in men and cervicitis in women, and they feel almost identical. The key difference is treatment: chlamydi
Molluscum contagiosum on the genitals and pubic area is a benign skin infection caused by a poxvirus that, in adults, usually spreads through sexual contact. It shows up as small, firm, pearly bumps w
In healthy people, molluscum contagiosum usually clears on its own without any treatment, with the bumps fading over about 6 to 12 months CDC. But the full natural-resolution range runs much longer —
Kissing alone almost never spreads molluscum contagiosum, but sharing towels can. Molluscum spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact with the bumps and through contaminated objects like towels, clo
Molluscum contagiosum in pregnancy is considered low-risk for both you and your baby. It's a benign skin infection caused by a poxvirus, and it doesn't cross the placenta or cause birth defects. Sever
Yes, molluscum contagiosum can come back. Beating one round of bumps doesn't make you immune, so you can catch the poxvirus again from a new contact, and you can re-seed your own skin by scratching or