What Is It?
Genital herpes is caused by a virus called herpes simplex (HSV).
There are two different types of herpes virus that cause genital
herpes - HSV-1 and HSV-2. Most forms of genital herpes are HSV-2.
But a person with HSV-1 (the type of virus that causes cold sores
or fever blisters around the mouth) can transmit the virus through
oral sex to another person's genitals.
Genital herpes is a
sexually transmitted disease (STD)
. It causes herpes sores in the genital area and is transmitted
through vaginal, oral, or anal sex, especially from unprotected sex
when infected skin touches the vaginal, oral, or anal area.
Occasionally, it can cause sores in the mouth, and can be spread by
secretions in saliva. Because the virus does not live outside the
body for long, you cannot catch genital herpes from an object, such
as a toilet seat.
Symptoms of a Genital Herpes Outbreak
Someone who has been exposed to the genital herpes virus may not
be aware of the infection and may never have an outbreak of sores.
However, if a person does have an outbreak, the symptoms can cause
significant discomfort.
Someone with genital herpes may first notice itching or
pain, followed by sores that appear a few hours to a few days
later. The sores, which may appear on the vagina, penis, scrotum,
buttocks, or anus, start out as red bumps that soon turn into red,
watery blisters. The sores may make it very painful to urinate. The
sores may open up, ooze fluid or bleed, and then heal within the
next 2 to 4 weeks.
The entire genital area may feel very tender or painful, and the
person may have flu-like symptoms including fever,
headache, and swollen lymph nodes. If someone has
an outbreak in the future, it will tend to be less severe and
shorter in duration, with the sores healing in about 10 days.
How Long Until Symptoms Appear?
Someone who has been exposed to genital herpes will notice
genital itching and/or pain about 2 to 20 days after being infected
with the virus. The sores usually appear within days afterward.
What Can Happen?
After the herpes blisters disappear, a person may think the
virus has gone away - but it's actually hiding in the body.
Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can stay hidden away in the body until the
next herpes outbreak, when the virus reactivates itself and the
sores return, usually in the same area.
Over time, the herpes virus can reactivate itself again and
again, causing discomfort and episodes of sores each time.
Sometimes a person has about four to five herpes outbreaks each
year, but this can vary between people. Usually, the number of
outbreaks will lessen over time.
There is
no
cure for herpes; it will always remain in the body and can always
be passed to another person with any form of unprotected sex. This
is the case even if blisters aren't present on the genitals,
but more likely if they are. Many cases of genital herpes are
transmitted when symptoms are not present, but a person can lessen
the chance of spreading the infection to someone else by
taking antiviral medication to lessen the amount of herpes virus
that is around. This is a prescription medication that needs to be
obtained from a doctor.
Genital herpes also increases the risk of HIV infection because
HIV can enter the body more easily whenever there's a break in
the skin (such as a sore) during unprotected sexual contact. In
addition, if a pregnant woman with genital herpes has an active
infection during childbirth, the newborn baby is at risk for
getting herpes infection. This risk is greatest if she gets her
first outbreak while pregnant. Herpes infection in a newborn can
cause meningitis (an inflammation of the membranes that surround
the brain and spinal cord), seizures, and brain damage.
How Is It Prevented?
The only surefire way to prevent genital herpes is abstinence.
Teens who do have sex must properly use a latex
condom
every time they have any form of sexual intercourse (vaginal, oral,
or anal sex). Girls receiving oral sex should have their partners
use dental dams as protection. These sheets of thin latex can be
purchased online or from many pharmacies.
If one partner has a herpes outbreak, avoid sex - even with a
condom or dental dam - until all sores have healed. Herpes can
be passed sexually even if a partner has no sores or other
signs and symptoms of an outbreak. Finally, one way to lessen this
risk is to take antiviral medication even when no sores are present
if you know you have genital herpes.
How Is It Treated?
If you think you may have genital herpes or if you have had a
partner who may have genital herpes, see your family doctor,
adolescent doctor, gynecologist, or health clinic for a
diagnosis.
Right now, there is no cure for genital herpes, but a doctor can
prescribe antiviral medication to help control recurring HSV-2 and
clear up the painful sores. The doctor can also tell you how to
keep the sores clean and dry and suggest other methods to ease the
discomfort when the virus reappears.
Reviewed by:
Michele Van Vranken, MD
Date reviewed: April 2009
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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