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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by first seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. If you are a woman, you may wish to schedule your initial appointment with your obstetrician and gynecologist (OB-GYN).
Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance.
- Write down any symptoms you've been experiencing, and for how long. Also note whether your sexual partner has ever had similar symptoms.
- Make a list of all recent exposures to possible sources of infection. These may include engaging in unprotected sex or sex with a new partner.
- Make a list of your key medical information, including other conditions you're being treated for and the names of any medications, vitamins or supplements that you're taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor. Creating your list of questions in advance can help you make the most of your time with your doctor.
For genital warts, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- Do I have genital warts?
- Are there any other possible causes for my symptoms?
- What tests do you recommend?
- Should I also be tested for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?
- What treatment approach do you recommend, if any?
- If the first treatment doesn't work, what will we try next?
- How soon after I begin treatment can I expect improvement?
- Am I contagious? How can I reduce the risk of passing this infection to others?
- Should my partner be tested for this condition?
- When can I safely resume sexual activity?
- How likely am I to experience future outbreaks of genital warts?
- Am I at risk of complications related to genital warts?
- How often should I be screened for other health conditions related to genital warts?
- Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing me?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to talk about in-depth. Your doctor may ask:
- What are your symptoms, if any?
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- Do you practice safe sex? Have you done so since you became sexually active?
- Have you recently had sex with a new partner?
- Has your partner been tested for STDs?
- Have you had the HPV vaccine? When?
- Are you pregnant or planning to become pregnant?
- Do you or did you smoke? How much?
What you can do in the meantime
While you wait for your appointment, avoid all sexual contact that could put your partner at risk of contracting genital warts. This includes sexual intercourse, oral sex and any skin-to-skin contact with your genitals. Let your sex partner or partners know about your signs and symptoms so that they can also seek testing.
- Human papillomavirus and genital warts. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseasese. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/stdhpv.htm. Accessed Jan. 13, 2009.
- HPV and genital warts. National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.4woman.gov/faq/stdhpv.pdf. Accessed Jan. 13, 2009.
- Carusi DA, et al. Patient information: Condyloma (genital warts) in Women. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 13, 2009.
- Diaz ML. Human papilloma virus - prevention and treatment. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics. 2007;35:199.
- HPV vaccine information for young women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm. Accessed Jan. 13, 2009.
- Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 26, 2009.
- Litin SC (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 23, 2009.
