The development of genital warts during pregnancy is very common. It is thought that the hormones of pregnancy lower the woman's immune system, encouraging the warts to grow and flourish. In most cases, the warts disappear after the birth without any treatments.
Understandably, women who are aware they have HPV, or who experience genital warts during pregnancy, are concerned about what affects this may have on their baby or the birth. Pregnant women with genital warts do not require any special treatments. You may request the warts be treated or removed during the pregnancy, but this is a personal choice and is not medically necessary.
It is important to remember that the wart virus is very prevalent in human society and there is only about 20% of the population who do not carry at least one type of wart virus. Most carriers of the virus do not have any physical signs and are therefore unaware they have it. HPV is not routinely tested for during pregnancy.
Babies coming in contact with HPV during pregnancy, birth or during early life are usually able to overcome the virus and/or do not show any physical signs. Many research papers report the initial presence of HPV in newborns. However, it often disappears by the time they are 6 months old. In very rare cases, a baby or small child can develop a condition called 'laryngeal papillomatosis'. This is where small warts grow on the vocal chords in the throat. About 0.04% (or 1 child in 40,000) will develop this condition, but the source of the viral infection is not always from the mother and can be from contact with others after birth. Laryngeal papillomatosis can be treated if it does occur.
Caesarean birth is not recommended for women with HPV or genital warts because it does not prevent the transmission of the wart virus from mother to baby. HPV has been detected in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women, meaning it is possible to transfer the virus to the baby during the pregnancy.