You can reduce your risk of contracting genital warts by:

• Choosing not to have sex (abstinence).
• Being in a mutually monogamous sexual relationship.
• Limiting the number of sexual partners you have.
• Choosing partners who have had few sexual partners themselves.
• Using a latex condom, which reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading HPV. Areas not covered by a condom can still be exposed to the virus.

There is a vaccine now available called Gardasil that can protect against four types of HPV (types 6, 11, 16 and 18). Types 16 and 18 are together responsible for 70% of all cervical cancer cases, while types 6 and 11 are together responsible for nearly 90% of the cases of genital warts. The CDC recommends the HPV vaccine for 11- to 12-year-old girls, and for girls and women aged 13-26 who have not yet been vaccinated. It is best to get the vaccine before the onset of sexual activity. The vaccine does not help treat HPV infections that have already occurred.