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GenitalHerpesFacts.com is brought to you by AllNetHealth.com and is intended to provide basic information that you can use to make informed decisions about important health issues affecting you or your loved ones. We hope that you’ll find this information about Genital Herpes helpful and that you’ll seek professional medical advice to address any specific symptoms you might have related to this matter.
In addition to this site, we have created the "Healthpedia Network" of sites to provide specific information on a wide variety of health topics.
How do people get genital herpes? What are the signs and symptoms of genital herpes? What are the complications of genital herpes? How is genital herpes diagnosed? Is there a treatment for herpes? Where can I buy home test kits for contributing factors of this condition?
Genital herpes is a sexually
transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1
(HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. Most
individuals have no or only minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or
HSV-2 infection. When signs do occur, they typically appear as one or
more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break,
leaving tender ulcers (sores) that may take two to four weeks to heal
the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks
or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and
shorter than the first outbreak. Although the infection can stay in the
body indefinitely, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over a
period of years. Results of a nationally representative study show that genital herpes infection is common in the United States. Nationwide, at least 45 million people ages 12 and older, or one out of five adolescents and adults, have had genital HSV infection. Between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, the number of Americans with genital herpes infection increased 30 percent.
Genital HSV-2 infection is
more common in women (approximately one out of four women) than in men
(almost one out of five). This may be due to male-to-female
transmissions being more likely than female-to-male transmission. HSV-1 and HSV-2 can be found in and released from the sores that the viruses cause, but they also are released between outbreaks from skin that does not appear to be broken or to have a sore. Generally, a person can only get HSV-2 infection during sexual contact with someone who has a genital HSV-2 infection. Transmission can occur from an infected partner who does not have a visible sore and may not know that he or she is infected.
HSV-1 can cause genital
herpes, but it more commonly causes infections of the mouth and lips,
so-called “fever blisters.” HSV-1 infection of the genitals can be
caused by oral-genital or genital-genital contact with a person who has
HSV-1 infection. Genital HSV-1 outbreaks recur less regularly than
genital HSV-2 outbreaks. Most people infected with HSV-2 are not aware of their infection. However, if signs and symptoms occur during the first outbreak, they can be quite pronounced. The first outbreak usually occurs within two weeks after the virus is transmitted, and the sores typically heal within two to four weeks. Other signs and symptoms during the primary episode may include a second crop of sores, and flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen glands. However, most individuals with HSV-2 infection may never have sores, or they may have very mild signs that they do not even notice or that they mistake for insect bites or another skin condition.
Most people diagnosed with a first
episode of genital herpes can expect to have several (typically four or
five) outbreaks (symptomatic recurrences) within a year. Over time these
recurrences usually decrease in frequency. Genital herpes can cause recurrent painful genital sores in many adults, and herpes infection can be severe in people with suppressed immune systems. Regardless of severity of symptoms, genital herpes frequently causes psychological distress in people who know they are infected. In addition, genital HSV can cause potentially fatal infections in babies. It is important that women avoid contracting herpes during pregnancy because a first episode during pregnancy causes a greater risk of transmission to the baby. If a woman has active genital herpes at delivery, a cesarean delivery is usually performed. Fortunately, infection of a baby from a woman with herpes infection is rare.
Herpes may play a role in the spread of
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Herpes can make people more susceptible
to HIV infection, and it can make HIV-infected individuals more
infectious.
The signs and symptoms associated with
HSV-2 can vary greatly. Health care providers can diagnose genital
herpes by visual inspection if the outbreak is typical, and by taking a
sample from the sore(s) and testing it in a laboratory. HSV infections
can be difficult to diagnose between outbreaks. Blood tests, which
detect HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection, may be helpful, although the results
are not always clear-cut.
There is
no treatment that can cure herpes, but antiviral medications can shorten
and prevent outbreaks during the period of time the person takes the
medication. In addition, daily suppressive therapy for symptomatic
herpes can reduce transmission to partners. The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, including genital herpes, is to abstain from sexual contact, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected. Genital ulcer diseases can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. Correct and consistent use of latex condoms can reduce the risk of genital herpes only when the infected area or site of potential exposure is protected. Since a condom may not cover all infected areas, even correct and consistent use of latex condoms cannot guarantee protection from genital herpes. Persons with herpes should abstain from sexual activity with uninfected partners when lesions or other symptoms of herpes are present. It is important to know that even if a person does not have any symptoms he or she can still infect sex partners. Sex partners of infected persons should be advised that they may become infected. Sex partners can seek testing to determine if they are infected with HSV. A positive HSV-2 blood test most likely indicates a genital herpes infection.
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