Genital herpes

There are 2 different types of the virus (type 1 and type 2), both of which can affect the genitals. One of the types is the same virus that causes cold sores around the mouth (type 1).

Genital herpes causes painful blisters and sores on and around the genitals. It can also sometimes cause problems if it’s caught for the first time either very early or very late in pregnancy.


Genital herpes causes painful blisters and sores on and around the genitals. It can also sometimes cause problems if it’s caught for the first time either very early or very late in pregnancy.

Symptoms

Many people with the herpes virus do not experience any symptoms when first infected.

If symptoms do occur they usually take between 2 and 12 days after contact to appear.

Sometimes symptoms may not be noticed until months, or sometimes years, after being in contact with the virus. If you do get symptoms, it does not mean you have just caught the virus.

Once you have the herpes infection, the virus stays in your body. It can lie dormant for long periods, but can reactivate in the area that was originally infected. If the virus reactivates, the sores and blisters can reappear. This is known as a ‘recurrent episode’ of genital herpes.

This first episode of genital herpes may last from 2 to 4 weeks. Repeated episodes are not usually as severe, or long, as the first and you may never have a repeat episode.

Symptoms of the first infection can include spots or red bumps around the genital area. These can be very painful. In time, these swellings can break open and form sores or ulcers which gradually crust over, forming new skin as they heal.

Other symptoms include:

pain inside the vagina, head of penis or back passage (rectum) vaginal discharge pain peeing or being unable to pee fever flu-like symptoms, backache, headache and a temperature mild swelling of the lymph glands in the groin, armpits and neck

If you have a recurrent infection, your symptoms may include:

a tingling or burning sensation before blisters appear (this can signal the start of a recurrent infection) painful red blisters, which soon burst to leave ulcers pain inside the vagina, head of penis or back passage