Genital herpes is a common venereal disease. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as one in six people ranging from age 14 to 49 years has genital herpes. The CDC also states that people who become infected with genital herpes will generally develop symptoms within six weeks of the initial contact with the disease. It is possible, however, that some patients will not see symptoms for several weeks. The first outbreak of herpes is always the worst, with subsequent outbreaks occurring as often as twice a month.
Genital Sores
The most common first symptom of genital herpes is sores that appear in the genital area. These sores start out as a small, sore, red bump on the skin that grows into a larger water-filled blister. After the blister ruptures, the sore will bleed and eventually ooze clear liquid. WomensHealth.gov states that these sores can make it uncomfortable to urinate. After the sores have healed, which takes a few weeks, the patient will remain asymptomatic for a few weeks to several months. The symptoms will become less prominent with each recurring outbreak. The period of time between outbreaks will become longer as well.
Flu-like Symptoms
Although most patients do not associate flu-like symptoms with genital herpes, it is one of the first symptoms a person will develop. These symptoms include muscle aches throughout the body, a dry cough, a sore throat, swollen lymph nodes in the throat and fatigue. These symptoms generally develop within the first week of initial infection and only last about a week. As soon as these symptoms remedy themselves, an outbreak of sores will follow.
Fever
Just as with any infection present in the body, says the University of Maryland, a low-grade fever will be present with a herpes infection. The reason for this is because the body will naturally try to fight off the infection by sending swarms of white blood cells to the infected site. This sudden movement throughout the body causes the body's temperature to rise. This rise in body temperature is considered a fever.
Swollen Glands
As stated above, the glands in the throat can become swollen with a genital herpes infection. These are lymph nodes, and they serve the purpose of aiding the body to fight off infection. These glands swell with the production of white blood cells. Not only can the lymph nodes in the throat swell, but the lymph nodes in the groin area can swell as well.
