This virus is passed on through direct skin-to-skin contact with someone who has HPV on their skin. It can be passed from person to person during vaginal and anal sex. It's also rarely passon on through oral sex. The virus may be present on the skin but no actual warts can be seen. If you have genital warts, you may notice lumps or growths which were not there before around your vagina, penis or anus. However, you can carry the virus without developing actual warts.

Most sexually active people will contract human papillomavirus HPV at some point in their lifetime. HPV spreads by skin-to-skin contact. Most people contract HPV in their genital area through sexual intercourse. If you engage in oral sex, you may contract it in your mouth or throat. This is most commonly known as oral HPV.

Back to Sexual health. Some types of cancer are linked to human papillomavirus HPV infection in the mouth and throat. It's likely that some types of HPV are spread by oral sex. Cancers in the mouth and throat are sometimes called head and neck cancers, and include cancers of the:.