What is genital Herpes ?
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease STD . It affects your genitals , bottom and thighs and causes serious health problems in infected individuals. Genital herpes is caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV). There is no cure for this STD but medications are used to relieve the symptoms and reduce the risk of infecting others.
What causes genital herpes ?
Herpes is caused by herpes simplex viruses (HSVs). There are two types of virus namely HSV-1 and HSV-2.
Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1) usually causes cold sores and blisters around the mouth but can spread to your genitals through oral sex.
Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2) is the most common one. It usually causes genital sores or lesions around the anus and is highly contagious. This is transmitted through sex or skin to skin contact. It can also spread whether there is a sore or not.
Once you get infected with herpes, the virus stays in your body for life. It may become dormant for weeks or even months and reactivate later . This may be triggered by
- stress
- fatigue
- menstruation
- genital irritation
- injury
Tell your doctor or midwife if you or your partner have this infection.
What are the symptoms of genital herpes ?
People with genital herpes may go asymptomatic for a long time. The disease may also be so mild that it may go unnoticed. If symptoms do occur however, they usually appear after 2 weeks of exposure to the virus. Symptoms include
- muscle aches in the lower back, buttocks, thighs, or knees
- sores over your genitals, bottom and thighs. They start of as sores but soon burst
- swollen and tender lymph nodes in the groin during an outbreak
- malaise
- vaginal discharge
- pain while urinating
The first contact with the virus is called a primary infection. It is usually severe and may last for 2 to 3 weeks.
A second outbreak ( secondary infection ) may occur later but this is usually less severe and goes away sooner. As times goes on the number of outbreaks may decrease.
How can I get genital herpes ?
Herpes is transmitted through
- sex
- oral sex if you partner has cold sores
- sharing of sex toys
- skin to skin contact with an infected area
- sharing of sex toys
How will genital herpes affect my pregnancy ?
If you acquire genital herpes for the first time during near the time of delivery, you have a 30 to 50 percent chance of passing the infection to your baby during vaginal delivery even if you don’t have symptoms. This is because you have not yet developed antibodies that could help protect her baby during delivery.
If you have been infected with herpes before pregnancy but have a flare-up during the time of vaginal delivery , you have only about 3% chance of infecting your baby.
Note however that apart from delivery, a baby can get infected with herpes if for example a person with cold sore kisses the baby.