Genital herpies symptoms

Genital herpies symptoms vary depending on the stage of the viral infection. The stages are - the initial outbreak, the latency period, and the recurrences of the genetal (genital) herpes.

Both the viral strains, HSV-1 and HSV-2 show similar symptoms but they may have different severity depending on where the infection is located. Most new genital herpes HSV-2 infections (about 60%) will have no initial symptoms and for the HSV-2 type the asymptomatic cases are about one third.

Folliculitis (blocked pores) can sometimes give symptoms reminding of gential herpes. Folliculitis are little red pimple-like objects around the pubic area, sometimes with puss in but not always. These are not the blisters of genitlee herpees (HSV-2 or HSV-1) though and folliculitis should be treated with bacitracin or neosporin ointment twice a day on the areas where they appear. If they do not disappear in a 2-week period, then it is time to see your doctor to be on the safe side.

Symptoms of primary genitile herpies outbreak

• Eruptions on the skin may start to appear anytime beween 2-12 days following the infection.
• The earliest infection sign is an accumulation of fluid (edema) at the site of the infection. This is shortly thereafter followed by small groups of blisters which are the characteristic HSV lesions.
• The blisters appear on an inflamed base of skin, which is more visible in areas of dry skin.
• The blisters then rapidly dry out and heal without leaving scars. Blisters in dry areas heal faster than in moist areas. There may be some itching but that quickly disappears with healing.
• After the crust has fallen off, there is no more risk of being contagious. There is a small risk that virus might still be active in nearby tissue, but it is unusual to even rare. A primary skin infection with any of the strains (HSV-1 or HSV-2) typically lasts 10 days to 3 weeks, but the skin pain could last as long as one to six weeks during the primary HSV infection.
• Lymphatic nodes near the infection may swell up.
• A primary genital herpies outbreak is often followed by fever, head and muscle aches and a flu-like malaise - all of which symptoms typically disappear in a week.
• Once the virus has gained entry somewhere in the body, the virus then starts to spready to neighboring mucosal areas via the nerve cells and this spreading can be the cause that larger areas of infection starts to erupt somewhere away from the first batch of blisters.
• Identifying the primary infection is important because there are research suggesting that early genetal herpes treatment can limit the latent amount ov virus in the body and also result in fewer recurrencies.

Symptoms of genital herpes in the latency period

The latency phase is the period between the initial gential herpes outbreak and a recurrence. During this phase there are no symptoms and the virus is dormant, it will not be transmissible.

The shedding phase

Sometimes when the latency period ends, there is no normal recurrence but instead something called shedding. Just as in the latency period, there are no symptoms during shedding, but the virus is transmissible when shedding (multiplying). The shedding is more likely to happen with the HSV-2 strain and more likely in female patients. There are studies indicating that the shedding phase without symptoms can be the cause of as many as one in three of the HSV-2 infections. An estimation shows that around 50% of all HSV-2 carriers will at some time shed without any visible blisters or other signs of genitle herpies.

Recent research has shown that the shedding phase is present in most infected patients 18-36 days per year, whether symptomatic or not. A recently infected patient (first year) is more infectous than someone who has carried the virus for several years. This is due to the immune system adapting and better controlling the virus after some time.

Symptoms of genitile herpies when recurring

The symptoms during recurrence of genital herpies are similar to the symptoms during the primary attack only they are often milder and more short lived. The fever is a typical sign of the primary attack and rarely present when the virus recurs. Lymphatic nodes can still swell up.

Recurrences are usually more common during the first year or years after the infection and can then become more infrequent. Time interval can be anything from days to years. The immune system gets better over time in handling the virus although it cannot completely eradicate it.

The mechanism behind recurrent outbreaks, the time interval and the strength of the outbreak, are not completely researched but there are indications that factors such as menstruation, fever, wind and sunlight, immune system suppression or stress can be linked to it. Also life-changing events, mood changes etc have been shown to have an effect.

In the case of oral herpes, reactivation can occur as a result of major dental work like tooth extraction or root canal jobs.

Symptoms of genetal herpes in female patients

Symptoms in females are often more complex and complicated. There is often a flu-like outbreak of fever and yeast infections (candida) can often appear just before or accompany the typical blisters. There is also frequently itching, nerve pain and pain in the lower abdomen as well as difficulties with urination.

The lesions appear in or just around the vagina, on the cervix or on the buttocks and they tend to form open ulcers almost immediately, continuing to develop a crust filled with a white-ish fluid. After the first round, there is often a new crop occuring in the following week, frequently followed by or accompanied by the groin lymphatic nodes swelling up. Where the lesions are located on the inside of the vagina, it is not uncommon that the patient is unaware of the genital herpes condition. They can still result in a discharge but it is less visible and the pain is minimal.

In between 10-20% of the female cases, the lesions develop outside the genital region during a primary HSV-2 outbreak. Especially common here are the blisters in the urethra which can cause problems with a burning pain when urinating. The reproductive organs such as the uterus and the fallopian tubes can also be affected although that is quite unusual. The symptoms of genital herpies (genetal herpees) can last up to 5-6 weeks.