I have a most embarrassing problem that I am afraid to discuss with my doctor. I have some warty like growths around the head of my penis. Are they dangerous?
Genital warts are the probable cause of your problem. They are not particulatly serious in men, but can cause significant problems, including a high risk of cancer of the cervix, to your female sexual partnets.
Genital warts are caused by a virus. They occur in both men and women, but for obvious reasons are more easily seen in the male. They are passed from one person to another during sex, but it may be many months before the warts start growing after the infection is caught. The body eventually manages to defeat the disease, but his may take years, and in the meantime you can pass the infection on.
The infection can cause warty growths as large as a golf ball if they are neglected. For this reason, treatment should be sought as soon as the warts are seen. This will involve removing the warts and a small amount of surrounding tissue by regularly applying a special cream, freezing, acid application or burning. Regrowth after treatment is common, and should receive further immediate medical attention.
You will remain infectious until every last virus has been destroyed, and you will not know this until you have been free of wart growth for at least 6 months.

I have large white lumps on my penis. Are these genital warts? Is there any cream or lotion I can buy from the chemist?
What you are describing could be genital warts, or they could be cysts, dermatitis or any one of a number of other skin diseases. The skin diseases that occur on other parts of the body can occur just as readily on the skin of the penis. The only way to find out just what these spots are is to have them checked by a doctor.
Far too many patients, both male and female, are embarrassed about showing certain parts of their anatomy to a doctor. As a result, they worry for weeks or months on end about something that may be easily cured, or they may be delaying treatment for a condition that could be quite serious.
Doctors are very used to seeing all parts of the body, and they will not be offended by what you show or tell them.
If these spots are genital warts, the best treatment is to have them properly removed by your doctor, because if they are left, they will enlarge and spread. Do not try to treat them with chemist preparations without obtaining a correct diagnosis.

I have heard that genital herpes can be caused by the same herpes virus that causes cold sores. If my partner has a cold sore on his lips, but no genital herpes, can I get genital herpes by kissing him? Is oral sex safe in this situation?
Herpes simplex type two is the virus that causes genital herpes. It is closely related to Herpes simplex one that can cause the distressingly painful blisters of cold sores on the lips and nostrils. It is possible by direct contact with a sore to catch genital herpes from Herpes simplex one, and sores on the lips from Herpes simplex type two. The blisters they form appear similar. Oral sex can therefore transmit both forms of virus from lips to genitals and vice versa.
The majority of cases of genital herpes are caught by sexual contact with someone, male or female, who already has the disease. It is possible, but unlikely, for the virus to be caught in hot spa baths and from a shared wet towel, but these and similar incidents are not common. Once a person is infected with the virus, it settles in the nerve endings around the vulva, penis, lips etc. and remains there for the rest of that person’s life.
If sores are present, there is a very good chance of passing the disease on to your sexual partner. A vicrim is also infectious for a few days before a new crop of sores develop, as the virus is rapidly reproducing at this stage. An absence of sores does not guarantee that the infection will not be transmitted, but condoms will give some protection against spreading the disease.
At times of stress, illness or reduced resistance, the virus starts reproducing, and causes the painful blisters and ulcers that characterise the disease. The first attack may occur weeks or years after the initial infection. The attack will last for a few weeks and then subside. After weeks, months or years, a further attack may occur, but the usual pattern is for the attacks to become less severe and to occur further apart.
Antiviral tablets can be prescribed by a doctor to control an attack of genital herpes, and if taken for several months, will prevent further attacks. They are quite expensive, but are subsidized by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme under certain circumstances. The most serious side of genital herpes is the effect it may have on the babies of women who develop an attack of the disease at the end of their pregnancy. If a baby catches the infection during delivery, it can cause severe brain damage in the child. For this reason, if a woman has a history of repeated herpes infections, she may be delivered by Caesarean section so that the baby does not come into contact with the virus particles that may be present in the birth canal.
There is some evidence that the incidence of gynecological cancer is increased in women with genital herpes. All women should have regular Pap smear tests, but particularly so if they have this annoying, but rarely serious disease.