What is genital herpes?
Genital herpes is a disease caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two types of HSV. Type 1 (HSV-1) can cause oral herpes -- an infection of the lips and mouth -- and genital herpes. The symptoms of oral herpes are commonly known as "cold sores" or "fever blisters." In the past, HSV-1 rarely caused genital herpes, but that is changing, especially among people who began having sex at a young age. Still, in most cases genital herpes is caused by the second type of herpes virus (HSV-2).
HSV-2 lives in the nerves. When it's active, it travels to the surface of the infected area (skin or mucous membrane) and makes copies of itself. This is called "shedding" because these new viruses can, at this time, rub off on another person. Then the virus travels back down the nerve to a ganglion (mass of nerve tissue) at base of the spine, where it lies dormant for a while.
Who gets herpes?
About one-fifth of all people aged 12 and over in the United States are infected with HSV-2, but as many as 90% of them don't know it.
More women than men are infected -- one in four women compared to one in five men. One reason may be that the virus can infect a woman's genitals more easily than it can a man's. Genital herpes is more common among blacks than it is among whites, and it becomes more common as people age. The more sex partners people have, the more common it is, too.
It's estimated that 50-80% of adults in the United States have oral herpes.
How is herpes spread?
HSV-1 is usually passed from person to person by kissing. HSV-1 can also spread from the mouth to the genitals during oral sex (fellatio, cunnilingus, analingus). If this happens, it becomes a case of genital herpes. HSV-2 is usually transmitted by vaginal sex and anal sex. But just as HSV-1 can infect the genitals and cause genital herpes, HSV-2 can pass from one person's genitals to another person's mouth, resulting in oral herpes.
HSV-2 cannot survive long on a non-living surface, so there is no real risk of getting it from a toilet seat or hot tub, for example.
How can genital herpes be prevented?
Using a latex barrier (a condom or "dental dam") during sex may protect you or your partner, but only if it covers the area where the virus is shedding. You should avoid having sex if you or your partner has visible sores on the genitals, and you shouldn't receive oral sex from someone who has a sore on his or her mouth.
It's important to know that HSV-2 can be contagious even when no symptoms are visible
Common Symptoms
The classic symptom of genital herpes is a cluster small fluid-filled blisters that break, forming painful sores that crust and heal over the course of several days. But some people get only a rash or small bumps on the skin that appear to be pimples. Some have painful urination and some women have fluid discharge from the vagina.
Sores may appear four to seven days after a person is first infected. There also may be flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen lymph glands in the groin, following the initial infection.
Symptoms come and go with varying frequency and duration. One person may have an outbreak once a year, while another may have one every few weeks. Before a flare-up, there is often an itching, tingling, or burning sensation in the affected area, and sharp pains in the pelvis or down the leg. Herpes sores are usually worst the first time they appear. In later outbreaks the sores tend to be less painful and last for a shorter period of time.
The symptoms of genital herpes can affect any of the following places on the body:
However, many people with genital herpes never have symptoms, or they mistake them for another malady, such as:
