The short explanation
Genital warts often grow or multiply in pregnancy because of hormonal changes and changes in the immune system. In most cases they do not affect the delivery and do not harm the baby. Very rarely, a baby can pick up the virus during birth, which can cause warts in the throat later, but this is uncommon. Some wart treatments cannot be used in pregnancy, so tell your doctor you are pregnant before any treatment. Freezing or other physical treatments may be options.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- A C-section is not usually needed because of warts. It is only considered if warts are very large and block the birth canal, or could bleed heavily.
- Warts often shrink or disappear after delivery.
- Mention them at your antenatal visits so your doctor can keep an eye on them.
- Do not use over-the-counter wart treatments on genital skin, especially during pregnancy.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot say whether your warts will affect your delivery. Your obstetrician can examine you and advise.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Do my warts need treatment now, or can they wait until after delivery?
- Which treatments are possible in pregnancy?
- Will they affect the type of delivery?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department if you have heavy bleeding, severe abdominal pain or fainting in pregnancy.
Get help the same day
- Get care the same day if a wart bleeds heavily or you have bleeding in pregnancy.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Mention the warts at every antenatal visit.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- HPV MedlinePlus (NIH)
- HPV and cancer National Cancer Institute (NIH)
- HPV vaccine NHS
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
Did this answer your question?
Whatever you choose is filed against this version of the answer, never against you, and it is never shown as a count.
“Explain more simply” asks you which part was hard to follow, so the author knows what to rewrite. “My question is different” opens a private follow-up with this answer attached.
Saving, following up and reporting are all private. Nothing you do on this page is visible to other readers or to the doctor who wrote it, unless you ask a question.