Genital Herpes

Overview
Genital Herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus II (HSV-II). It is estimated that one million new cases occur each year in the U.S. alone. The infection is transmitted during sexual intercourse or by other intimate contact with the genitals, mouth or rectal area. Once you're infected, the virus remains in your body for the rest of your life. Usually it's in an inactive state, which means it is not causing symptoms.

The virus may become active at any time, and in some people the disease may recur frequently. Outbreaks can be caused by physical or emotional stress, tight clothing, intercourse without enough lubrication, menstruation, or the stress of an illness like the flu.

Herpes is very contagious, especially when sores are present. However, it can be contagious when there are no obvious sores. After their first outbreak of herpes, some people shed active virus particles even though they don't have any symptoms themselves at all.

Remember, you CAN infect other people even when you don't have any blisters, and you CAN be infected even if you don't see any blisters on someone else.

Herpes can be diagnosed with a smear taken from a lesion by a health care provider. Diagnosis is often based on symptoms alone. Herpes will not be tested for or detected by a routine pap smear.

Symptoms
Initial symptoms include tingling, itching and pain in the genital area, followed by an eruption of small, clear blisters. The blisters often appear in clusters. These lesions rupture on about the fifth day and form wet ulcers that are painful to touch, and can be associated with painful sex, painful urination, pain in the lymph nodes, in the groin and in the area of the blisters.

In women, blisters can appear on the vulva, around or in the vagina or anywhere in the genital area. Involvement of the cervix occurs about 80 percent of the time during the first outbreak, but only your health provider can detect this. In men, the infection can cause lesions on the penis, on the penis shaft, on the glans penis (head) and scrotum and sometimes in the urethra. Some people infected with genital herpes will have no symptoms at all.

Recurrent outbreak symptoms may include:
• Painful sores (blisters) on the genitals of both sexes, thighs, or buttocks
• Tingling, and itching
• Fever (often only with the first outbreak of blisters)
• Flu-like symptoms (headache, muscle ache, fever, chills, fatigue)
• Vaginal discharge
• Painful urination
• Painful sex
• Tender, enlarged lymph nodes in the groin

The incubation period of genital herpes is two to 12 days.

Common Treatments
Genital herpes cannot be cured. The virus will stay in your body forever, but usually remains dormant most of the time. However, there are medications that may help treat your symptoms, and prevent the likelihood of passing genital herpes to your partner. You can also learn to control your symptoms as much as possible.

Prevention
Ask and talk! Ask your partner(s) if they have had herpes. The disease may spread from areas not protected by condoms like the groin, thigh and abdomen.

Use condoms every time you have intercourse or abstain from sex altogether. Used properly, condoms and spermicide will protect you from HSV-II.

Avoid oral-genital and oral-anal sex with someone who has cold sores on the mouth, or if you have cold sores. Cold sores are caused by HSV-I and can infect the genitals.

Ask Your Physician
Consult with your physician to figure out the best treatment for you if you have or think your have genital or another form of herpes.

If you are pregnant and have a history of herpes, you must tell your obstetrician. It is possible to pass the disease to your baby during delivery. In addition, if you have an outbreak at the time of delivery, a cesarean section is usually performed instead of a vaginal birth to prevent any complications for the child.