If you've got genital warts, you're not alone. They’re actually pretty common (up to a million new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year), but it turns out there’s a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to below-the-belt bumps. Behold, seven genital wart revelations to help keep you healthy down there.

1. They Can Show Up Years Later
“Genital warts usually appear in the weeks or months after you’re infected, but it’s possible for them to pop up years down the road,” says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine. So don't even think about trying to point fingers. Other crappy news: You can’t cure the virus, so while warts can be removed (usually through freezing them off or applying a prescription cream called Aldara), there’s a chance they can reappear in the future.

2. They’re Not Always Easy to Detect
You’re probably pretty good at managing changes to your body (adios, stray nipple hair), but genital warts aren’t always so obvious to spot. They can come in different shapes and sizes (most are flesh-colored bumps or look similar to cauliflower), and some are so small they’re not visible to the eye. The best thing you can do is bring up any changes to your doc: “If you’re not sure if it’s a skin tag, pimple, or something else, get it checked out,” says Minkin. Here are a few examples of what they can look like:

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3. Pregnant Women Need to Be Extra Careful
Genital warts can grow more rapidly when you’re pregnant (blame a tamped-down immune system), and in rare cases, they can even be passed to a baby during birth, says Minkin. Docs will typically freeze warts off of future mothers (it’s the safest method of nixing them while someone’s knocked up) to avoid any pregnancy complications.

4. Condoms Aren’t Guaranteed Protection
“Warts can live in places like the anus, scrotum, or vulva, and condoms only cover so much of the genitals,” says Minkin. So really any skin contact down there with an infected person puts you at risk—regardless or whether or not you’re having sex. (You should still use condoms since they can lower your STD risk, but know it’s not a bulletproof protector when it comes to warts.)

5. The HPV Vaccine Helps Prevent Them
Around 90 percent of genital warts are caused by two strains of HPV—type six and 11—and the HPV vaccine protects you from both of these. Can we get a hell yeah!? (Just keep in mind that the vaccine is only recommended for women up to age 26.)

6. Smoking Can Trigger Warts
The millionth reason to stop puffing on cigs: Nicotine can screw with your nether regions, too. One study found that smokers are 23 percent more likely to have genital warts than non-smokers. “Smoking suppresses the immune system so you’re not able to fight off the infection as well as someone who doesn’t smoke,” says Minkin.

7. They Can Show Up In Other Places (Like Your Throat)
True story: Oral sex can lead to genital warts in your mouth or throat, though Minkin says these warts often go undetected. A bigger issue when it comes to oral sex and HPV is your risk of contracting HPV-related oral cancer, which is rising fast among young women (and is caused by a different strain of HPV than the one that leads to warts).

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Kristen Dold
Kristen Dold is a freelance writer based in Chicago. She was previously an editor at Women’s Health and Details magazines, and her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, GQ, Travel & Leisure, and Vice.