The Symptoms of Genital Herpes
The first symptom of genital herpes (HSV 2) can appear anywhere from two to twenty days after exposure.
Symptoms usually appear within the first ten days.
Sometimes, the outbreak is so mild that it goes unnoticed, but the first outbreak is usually the most severe because the body has not yet developed antibodies to fight it.
The first symptom to appear is usually itching or pain, which then turns into bumps and blisters.
The bumps and blisters occur at the site of infection, which may be around the cervix, the vaginal area, the penis, the urinary tract, around the anal area, and on the thighs or buttocks.
The blisters eventually burst, then scabs form and they heal without scarring.
Other symptoms of the initial outbreak can include muscle aches, headache, fever, painful urination, swollen glands in the groin area, and vaginal discharge.
Outbreaks can last as long as two weeks.
Women tend to have more severe outbreaks than men do, as well as more complications during the initial outbreak.
This is due to the fact that a woman's genital area has more mucosal cells than a man's does.
It is also possibly caused by changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle that impact the immune system, leaving women more susceptible to infection.
The time between outbreaks is different from person to person, and some people never have a second outbreak.
However, some people have outbreaks triggered by anything from illness to friction, like that experienced during sexual intercourse.
It is not uncommon for outbreaks to become less frequent and less severe as time passes.
It is possible to transmit the HSV 2 virus whether or not blisters are present.
Condoms are not a total safeguard against HSV 2 transmission, as the herpes virus can live in areas that condoms do not cover.
Symptoms usually appear within the first ten days.
Sometimes, the outbreak is so mild that it goes unnoticed, but the first outbreak is usually the most severe because the body has not yet developed antibodies to fight it.
The first symptom to appear is usually itching or pain, which then turns into bumps and blisters.
The bumps and blisters occur at the site of infection, which may be around the cervix, the vaginal area, the penis, the urinary tract, around the anal area, and on the thighs or buttocks.
The blisters eventually burst, then scabs form and they heal without scarring.
Other symptoms of the initial outbreak can include muscle aches, headache, fever, painful urination, swollen glands in the groin area, and vaginal discharge.
Outbreaks can last as long as two weeks.
Women tend to have more severe outbreaks than men do, as well as more complications during the initial outbreak.
This is due to the fact that a woman's genital area has more mucosal cells than a man's does.
It is also possibly caused by changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle that impact the immune system, leaving women more susceptible to infection.
The time between outbreaks is different from person to person, and some people never have a second outbreak.
However, some people have outbreaks triggered by anything from illness to friction, like that experienced during sexual intercourse.
It is not uncommon for outbreaks to become less frequent and less severe as time passes.
It is possible to transmit the HSV 2 virus whether or not blisters are present.
Condoms are not a total safeguard against HSV 2 transmission, as the herpes virus can live in areas that condoms do not cover.