Urethral Warts – Top Urologist in NYC for Treatment of Genital Warts in Men and Women


If you have any questions, to schedule a consultation, please contact us or call/text: 1-646-663-4125.


Genital Warts in Urethra: What You Need to Know 

What are Urethral Warts? What is Urethral Condyloma?

Urethral warts are a type of genital wart or condyloma caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). More than 30 strains of HPV infect the genital tract of humans, but not all of them cause genital warts. HPV types 6 and 11 are most commonly implicated – they cause 90 percent of genital warts. Urethral warts spread through sexual contact. They are transmitted between sexual partners by anal and vaginal sex. They can also spread through non-penetrative sex (skin-to-skin genital contact).

Urethral warts look like small, soft, fleshy bumps on the skin, pink or gray in color. They are non-cancerous growths that may or may not be visible to the naked eye. They can be located at the urethral outlet or meatus (the urethra is the tube that carries urine out of the body). Intra-urethral warts are present inside the urethra and can only be diagnosed with urethroscopy.

Genital Wart Removal and Urethral Wart Treatment in NYC

At New York Urology Specialists, we offer same-day genital wart removal. Schedule an appointment today.

We also perform comprehensive STD testing for other infections. We offer confidential appointments. Our prices are affordable with or without insurance.  Call/text today: 1-646-663-4125 or make an appointment online.  

What Are the Symptoms of Urethral Warts? How Do I Know If I Have Urethral Warts?

In many people, HPV infection does not cause any symptoms. It is possible for men and women to get an HPV infection without knowing it. People with subclinical HPV infection can still pass on the virus to their sexual partners. Symptoms of HPV infection, such as urethral warts, can appear anywhere from 3 weeks to 8 months after exposure to the virus (link). When urethral warts are present, they may cause signs and symptoms including:

  • Changes in urinary stream
  • Pain or burning with urination
  • Itching or discomfort at the urethra
  • Blood in the urine
  • The appearance of small (1-2 mm), flesh-colored, flat or dome-shaped, cauliflower-like lesions, solitary or in clusters

Untreated urethral condylomas can lead to complications such as urethral stenosis (narrowing) and bladder outlet obstruction (link). The persistent HPV infection is associated with cervical cancer in women and penile cancer in men.

If you think you may have urethral warts, do not delay getting treatment.

Schedule an appointment with board-certified urologists at New York Urology Specialists today. Our offices are easily accessible to residents of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and other New York City boroughs.

Do Urethral Warts Go Away?

The immune system of the infected person plays a big role in the appearance of HPV symptoms and the successful treatment of urethral warts. Genital warts may go away on their own but are likely to return in people with a weak immune system. It’s important to get routine STD testing and appropriate treatment to prevent health complications of HPV and transmission of the infection to sex partners. Urethral warts may go away, but if both partners are not tested and treated at the same time, they can pass the infection to each other.

How Common Are Urethral Genital Warts?

External genital warts are extremely common. In the United States alone, half a million to one million new cases are diagnosed each year. In men, genital warts are most commonly found at the frenulum (prepuce) and glans of the penis. Urethral warts are less common – only 20 percent of all genital warts caused by human papillomavirus are urethral warts, most of which are found on the meatus (outlet) of the urethra.

What is the Treatment for Urethral Warts?

The treatment for urethral warts depends on the location. In general, treatment for urethral condylomas is limited by a difficult approach, recurrences, and possible complications. If the wart is in an accessible location, such as the meatus (outlet of the urethra), it can be treated with local creams, fulguration, or surgical excision. Studies have shown that nonsurgical treatment of meatal warts with podophyllin cream requires prolonged treatment (4-8 weeks) and has low success rates). Cryotherapy is fairly inexpensive and quite effective but requires multiple outpatient visits.

Surgical excision is the only treatment that completely removes warts in a single sitting and has excellent success rates.

Intra-urethral warts need to be treated with fulguration or laser treatment. Local creams cannot be used for warts inside the urethra. Injection of drugs such as 5-fluorouracil and Thiotepa may be used. Electrosurgical removal or holmium laser removal of intra-urethral warts under general anesthesia destroys the lesions with good results.

At New York Urology Specialists, we offer advanced treatments with proven effectiveness, such as laser ablation, cryotherapy (freezing with liquid nitrogen), electrocautery fulguration, and surgical excision. Remember, the treatment of urethral warts removes the lesion but does not cure the underlying HPV infection. Talk to us today about reducing your risk of HPV infection and recurrent genital warts with the Gardasil-9 vaccine.

How Effective is Treatment for Urethral Warts?

The choice of treatment for urethral warts depends on the number, size, and location of the lesions as well as cost, convenience, patient preference, and clinician experience.

Podofilox (cream) treatment of external urethral warts has a recurrence rate of up to 65 percent.  Recurrence rates are much lower (about 20 percent) with surgical excision, electrosurgery, and cryotherapy. Studies (link) have shown that cryotherapy is about 80 percent effective and electrodesiccation is about 95 percent effective in achieving complete wart clearance. In comparison, the local cream application of Podofilox is only 40 percent effective.

What Doctors Treat Urethral Warts?

Urethral warts are treated by urologists. Urologists are trained physicians with expertise in treating genital warts and other sexually transmitted diseases. At New York Urology Specialists, fellowship-trained urologists offer comprehensive testing and treatment for all sexually and non-sexually transmitted diseases of the urogenital tract in men and women, including urethral warts.

What do Urethral Warts Look Like?

You can find pictures of genital warts and urethral warts as well as before and after treatment images in our genital wart image gallery.

Did You Know?

  • Urethral warts are caused by HPV (human papillomavirus) and transmitted through sexual activity.
  • Without treatment, urethral warts can lead to complications such as narrowing of the urethra.
  • Several treatment options for urethral warts are available, including creams for local application, cryotherapy, electrosurgery, and surgical excision with scissors or scalpel.

Scheduling Appointments for Urethral Wart Removal and STD Treatment at New York Urology Specialists


If you have any questions, to schedule a consultation, please contact us or call 1-646-663-4125.

We offer affordable, highest-quality urology care with or without insurance.   Find out our office hours or directions to our office. We offer weekday, weekend, and evening office hours.


STDs are Treatable in Nearly Every Man

Excellence-Urology_Care-banner2At New York Urology Specialists, our urologists are specially trained in the evaluation and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STI).  We understand the challenges that STDs such as chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, and ureaplasma create for our patients, their relationships, and their self-esteem.  We help you find an effective treatment for your symptoms that may be caused by STD, UTI or another cause. 

Urologists are doctors specializing in the treatment of infections in men and women caused by sexually transmitted diseases as well as bladder infections (UTI). By virtue of our experience and skill, we are able to offer an effective treatment option for nearly every man and woman with urinary problems and bladder control problems.   

We treat some of the most complex STD problems including:

  • Persistent urinary urgency
  • Frequent recurrence of genital warts
  • Frequent recurrence of herpes outbreaks
  • HIV prevention 
  • Genital warts in the urethra
  • Treatment of infections when antibiotics do not work well
  • Testing for urinary ureaplasma and mycoplasma.

Schedule an Appointment with Dr. Shteynshlyuger:

Call/text today: 1-646-663-4125 or make an appointment online

Dr. Alex Shteynshlyuger is a fellowship-trained, board-certified urologist with expertise in the evaluation and treatment of urological problems in men and women using modern, effective, and proven treatment methods.  He is highly recommended by top primary care physicians in the New York area. If you or someone you know has been experiencing urological symptoms, make an appointment to take advantage of Dr. Shteynshlyuger’s expert advice. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.