Genital Herpes
Topic Overview
What is genital herpes?
Genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The disease can be bothersome. But if you are a healthy adult, you do not need to worry that it will cause serious problems. A sexually transmitted infection is also called a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
Most people never have symptoms, or the symptoms are so mild that people do not know that they are infected. But in some people, the disease causes occasional outbreaks of itchy and painful sores in the genital area.
After the first outbreak, the herpes virus stays in the nerve cells below the skin and becomes inactive. It usually becomes active again from time to time, travelling back up to the skin and causing more sores. Things like stress, illness, a new sex partner, or menstruation may trigger a new outbreak. As time goes on, the outbreaks happen less often, heal faster, and don't hurt as much.
What causes genital herpes?
Genital herpes is caused by a virus—either the herpes simplex virus type 1 or the herpes simplex virus type 2. Either virus can cause sores on the lips (cold sores) and sores on the genitals. Type 1 more often causes cold sores, while type 2 more often causes genital sores.
You are more likely to get genital herpes if you:
- Have more than one sex partner.
- Have a high-risk partner (someone who has more than one sex partner or someone who has genital herpes).
- Have unprotected sex (without condoms).
- Have sex before age 18.
- Have an impaired immune system.
- Are a woman. Women are more likely than men to get infected.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. Most people never have any symptoms, or the symptoms are so mild that they may not notice them.
Some people have outbreaks of itchy and painful blisters
on the penis or around the opening of the vagina. The blisters rupture and turn into oozing shallow sores that take up to 3 weeks to heal. Sometimes people, especially women, also have flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and muscle aches. They may also notice an abnormal discharge and pain when they urinate.
Once you have been exposed to genital herpes, it takes 2 to 14 days to have your first outbreak.
Genital herpes infections can be severe in people with impaired immune systems, such as people with HIV.
How is genital herpes diagnosed?
Your doctor may diagnose genital herpes by examining you. He or she may ask you questions about your symptoms and your risk factors, which are things that make you more likely to get a disease.
If this is your first outbreak, your doctor may take a sample of tissue from the sore for testing. Testing can help the doctor be sure that you have herpes. You may also have a blood test.
How is it treated?
Although there is no cure, medicine can relieve pain and itching and help sores heal faster. If you have a lot of outbreaks, you may take medicine every day to keep the number of outbreaks down.
After the first outbreak, some people have just a few more outbreaks over their lifetime, while others may have 4 to 6 outbreaks a year. Usually the number of outbreaks decreases after a few years.
Treatment works best if it is started as soon as possible after the start of an outbreak. This is especially true for outbreaks that come back again and again.
Finding out that you have herpes may cause you to feel bad about yourself or about sex. Counselling or a support group may help you feel better.
Can genital herpes be prevented?
The only sure way to keep from getting genital herpes—or any other sexually transmitted infection (STI)—is to not have sex. If you do have sex, practise safe sex.
- Before you start a sexual relationship, talk with your partner about STIs. Find out whether he or she is at risk for them. Remember that a person can be infected without knowing it.
- If you have symptoms of an STI, don't have sex.
- Don't have sex with anyone who has symptoms or who may have been exposed to an STI.
- Don't have more than one sexual relationship at a time. Having several sex partners increases your risk for disease.
- Use condoms. Condom use lowers the risk of spreading or becoming infected with an STI.
- Don’t receive oral sex from partners who have cold sores.
Taking medicine for herpes may lower the number of outbreaks you have and lower the chances that you will infect your partner.
If you are pregnant, you should take extra care to avoid getting infected. You could pass the infection to your baby during delivery, which can cause serious problems for your newborn. If you have an outbreak near your due date, you probably will need to have your baby by caesarean section. If your genital herpes outbreaks return again and again, your doctor may talk to you about medicines that can help prevent an outbreak during pregnancy.
Vaccines that can prevent a genital herpes infection are not available yet, but several are being studied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about genital herpes:
Being diagnosed:
Getting treatment:
Ongoing concerns:
Living with genital herpes:
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| Author: | Douglas Dana Sabra L. Katz-Wise Ralph Poore | Last Updated: April 4, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH - Infectious Disease Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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