The symptoms of genital herpes are primarily the sores that develop. Some people would describe these as blisters, and they will often appear on the genitals. Some areas where blisters may be located include the vagina, penis, and anus. The sores can also form on the testicles, outer buttocks or potentially in the mouth. During a person's initial outbreak, it is also common to experience fevers and chills.
Herpes sores generally start off as little bumps, and a person might not initially think they are that serious. After a few days, they start to enlarge and fill with liquid. It can take several weeks for the sores to eventually drain and go away. The sores themselves are extremely contagious if someone touches them. Herpes sores are known to be very painful, and some people may use pain medicines or creams to deal with that.
If someone has symptoms of genital herpes, it is generally easier for them to spread the virus during an outbreak than under normal circumstances. Using condoms and dental dams can be helpful in avoiding the spread, but the sores can actually appear in areas of the body that don’t get blocked by those devices, so most experts consider them far from foolproof. Many experts recommend absolute abstinence during an outbreak to protect sexual partners. The virus can also be spread when there are no symptoms, and many sufferers are generally unaware of this, which causes them to avoid precautions and spread the illness further.
Many people may have herpes without ever realizing it. Infected people don’t always develop symptoms of genital herpes, and this makes it easy to carry the disease without awareness. It’s also often true that people might have symptoms of genital herpes without realizing that it’s a serious issue. Some people dismiss the sores as inconsequential, and they can easily infect others without even knowing there is a risk. There are also people who have herpes and simply choose to ignore the risk.
People with symptoms of genital herpes can use medications to lessen the number of symptom outbreaks. These medications aren’t perfect, and they won’t make it impossible for someone to spread the disease, but they can make things easier for sufferers. Scientists haven’t figured out a way to cure herpes. Antibiotics are generally very effective against bacterial infections, but finding medications to thwart viruses has been much more difficult.
