Overview of
Genital Herpes Facts
This is a general overview of genital
herpes facts. Some of these genital herpes facts have been discussed
in other articles, but this information is provided to give you a
quick guide.
Genital herpes is also known as the herpes
simplex virus 2, or HSV 2. Genital herpes is incurable once you become
infected, but it is treatable.
Genital herpes can infect any part of
your skin. It can infect your mouth, genitals, buttocks, cervix, urethra,
rectum, thighs, and any other area of your skin that comes in contact
with an outbreak. Oral herpes can infect the genitals, just as genital
herpes can infect your mouth and throat. This often happens as a result
from oral sex with an infected person.
Women with genital herpes on their cervix
may not know that they have been infected with the virus, because
they may not even feel an outbreak. Genital herpes that infects the
cervix is suspected to have a link to cervical cancer. Yearly pap
smears are important.
A pregnant women infected with genital
herpes can infect her child during birth. It's important to tell a
doctor immediately so preventative measures can be taken. If an infant
becomes infected with genital herpes it can cause blindness, and other
serious health problems.
The symptoms and amount of outbreaks
varies from person to person. Some people never even have an outbreak,
or simply brush it off as something else.
Genital herpes is often confused with
other health conditions such as shingles, bug bites, yeast infections,
jock itch, ingrown hairs, razor burn, or hemorrhoids.
The initial outbreak of genital herpes
usually happens 2-20 days after the initial infection. This can be
more or less, because it varies from person to person. The first outbreak
usually lasts 2-3 weeks, but can be more or less.
Outbreaks following the initial outbreak
usually don't last as long as the first, and aren't as painful.
Before the actual outbreak, some people
feel a burning when urinating, tingling feeling in the genitals, itching,
and/or pain in the legs or buttocks.
Small pimple-like bumps appear, and turn
into blisters or lesions. The lesions then break, scab over, and heal.
After they heal, the virus returns to your nervous system where it
will lie dormant until the next time it is activated. Usually, there
are no scars left behind.
Some people believe outbreaks can be
brought on by stress, illness, injury, sunlight, fatigue, and menstruation.
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