Genital Herpes
Genital herpes is a disease caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV), of which there are two types. Type 1 (HSV-1) usually causes oral herpes, an infection of the lips and mouth. Symptoms are commonly known as cold sores or fever blisters. In the past, HSV-1 rarely caused genital herpes, but that is changing, especially among people who begin having sex at a young age. Still, in most cases, genital herpes is caused by the second type of herpes virus (HSV-2).
HSV-2 lives in the nerves. When it's active, it travels to the surface of the infected area (skin or mucous membrane) and makes copies of itself. This is called "shedding" because these new viruses can, at this time, rub off on another person. Then the virus travels back down the nerve to a ganglion (mass of nerve tissue), usually at the base of the spine, where it lies dormant for a while.
Who Gets Genital Herpes?
About one-fifth of all people aged 12 and over are infected with the HSV-2 virus that causes genital herpes, but as many as 90% don't know it. (By comparison, experts estimate 50% to 80% of adults have oral herpes.)
More women than men are infected, about one in four women compared with one in five men. One reason may be that the virus can infect a woman's genitals more easily than it can a man's. Genital herpes is more common among blacks than it is among whites, and it becomes more common as people age.
How Is Herpes (Oral or Genital) Spread?
HSV-1 is usually passed from person to person by kissing. HSV-1 can also spread from the mouth to the genitals during oral sex (fellatio, cunnilingus, analingus). If this happens, it becomes a case of genital herpes.
HSV-2 is most often passed by vaginal sex and anal sex. But just as HSV-1 can infect the genitals and cause genital herpes, HSV-2 can pass from one person's genitals to another person's mouth, resulting in oral herpes.
HSV-2 cannot survive long on a non-living surface, so there is no real risk of getting it from a toilet seat or hot tub, for example.
It's important to know that HSV can be contagious even when no symptoms are visible.
The Herpes Simplex Virus is passed on through skin to skin contact and can therefore be passed on during sexual intercourse. It is possible for the virus to be passed from the mouth to the genital area through oral sex or by self-infection, for example the virus from the oral sore can be transferred by finger to the genital area.
The classic symptom of genital herpes is a cluster of small fluid-filled blisters that break, forming painful sores that crust and heal. This process can take several days.
But some people get only a rash or small bumps on the skin that appear to be pimples. Still others have different symptoms, such as painful urination, and some women have fluid discharge from the vagina.
Sores may appear four to seven days after a person is first infected. Flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen lymph glands in the groin, may also follow the initial infection.
Symptoms come and go with no set pattern. One person may have an outbreak once a year, while another may have one every few weeks. Before a flare-up, a person may notice an itching, tingling, or burning sensation in the affected area, and there may be sharp pains in the pelvis or down the leg.
Herpes sores are usually worst the first time they appear. In later outbreaks the sores tend to be less painful and last for a shorter period of time.
The symptoms of genital herpes can affect any of the following places on the body:
- Penis
- Scrotum
- Vulva
- Vagina
- Anus
- Urethra
- Thighs
- Buttocks
However, many people with genital herpes never have symptoms, or they mistake them for another malady, such as:
- A vaginal yeast infection
- Jock itch
- Insect bites
- Hemorrhoids
- An ingrown hair
If you think you may have genital herpes, visit your doctor or a clinic to get tested.