Most people with HPV don’t have any symptoms or health problems, and it is difficult to know when you first got it. However, sometimes HPV can cause genital warts, which are rough, cauliflower-like lumps that grow on your skin. Genital warts are contagious, but they’re harmless. Some types of HPV can cause cancer, including cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, or anal cancer. High-risk forms of HPV often don’t cause symptoms until they’ve progressed to cancer. Cervical cancer is the most common type of HPV-related cancer. Other types of cancer are much rarer. Symptoms of cervical cancer may include vaginal bleeding between periods, after sex, or after menopause, and increased vaginal discharge. Symptoms of vulvar cancer may include changes in color/thickness of the skin of your vulva, chronic pain, itching, or a lump. Symptoms of penile cancer may include changes in color or thickness of the skin of your penis, or a painful sore might show up on your penis. Anal cancer might cause anal bleeding, pain, itching, or discharge, or changes in bowel habits (pooping) . Throat cancer might cause a sore throat, ear pain that doesn’t go away, constant coughing, pain or trouble swallowing or breathing, weight loss, or a lump or mass in your neck. Regular checkups are important to detect HPV and abnormal cell changes before they cause problems, so you can get treatment to stay healthy.