What Are Genital Herpes? - Herpes and HSV Explained

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease

, and is a strain of the herpes simplex virus (HSV), the same that causes cold sores on the mouth. Cold sores are a manifestation of the HSV1 virus, and genital herpes is a manifestation of the HSV2 virus.

Once contracted, the HSV2 virus lies dormant in the body until a trigger such as stress, illness or sleep deprivation causes an outbreak to occur. Once contracted, the genital herpes virus stays in the body for life, there is currently no cure or vaccine, although intensive study is currently underway towards this. However, there is still hope for sufferers, as effective treatments exist to suppress the virus and prevent outbreaks.

Outbreaks can occur at different rates depending on the person. Some people experience outbreaks on a monthly basis, others only a few times a year.

What are Genital Herpes - The Symptoms

The symptoms of genital herpes are wide and varied. Some sufferers experience strong and recurring symptoms, while others only get light symptoms or none at all. The most common symptom of genital herpes is weeping blisters that appear on the genitals and surrounding area. These blisters can range in size from tiny pinhead sized to large coin sized. They can be numerous or few in number, and can appear alone or in groups called lesions.

These blisters usually appear, and then burst and scab over a few days later. An outbreak can last anywhere from a week to three weeks.

Other symptoms can include itchy rashes, swollen glands, tenderness in the groin area. Others still experience flu like symptoms including nausea, headaches, fever, muscle weakness, and lethargy

What are Genital Herpes - What can I do about it?

If you think you may have Genital Herpes, the first step is to seek medical diagnosis. Genital Herpes may seem like an embarrassing disease, but what isn't well known is that the virus is incredibly common, occurring in 1 out of 5 men, and 1 in 4 women. Sufferers can feel ashamed or 'dirty' when they find out they have genital herpes, and can often experience depression and anxiety as a result. Genital Herpes is really nothing to be ashamed of, it is a nasty virus and nothing more, and with the right treatment outbreaks can be controlled and eventually stopped.

What Are Genital Herpes? - Herpes and HSV Explained

By: Jeff Paterson

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