Genital Herpes
by: Amy Otis, RN
What
is Genital Herpes?
Genital
Herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus II (HSV-II). It
is estimated that 500,000 to 1 million new cases occur each
year in the U.S alone.
The infection is transmitted during sexual intercourse or by
other intimate contact with the genitals, mouth, or rectal area.
Once you're infected, the virus remains in your body for the
rest of your life. Usually it’s in an inactive state, which
means it is not causing symptoms.
However,
the virus may become active at any time and in some people the
disease may recur frequently. Outbreaks can occur from physical
or emotional stress, tight clothing, intercourse without enough
lubrication, menstruation, or the stress of an illness.
Herpes
is very contagious, especially when sores are present. However,
it can be contagious when there are no obvious sores. After
their first outbreak of herpes, some people shed active virus
particles even though they don't have any symptoms themselves.
Remember, you CAN infect other people even when you don't have
any blisters or you CAN be infected even if you don't see any
blisters on someone else. Herpes can be diagnosed from a smear
taken from a lesion by a health care provider. Diagnosis is
often based on symptoms alone. Herpes will not be tested for
or detected by a routine pap smear!
Symptoms
The symptoms
of herpes are often most severe during the first outbreak.
Initial Symptoms of HSV-II include:
Tingling, itching,
and pain in the genital area, followed by eruption of small
clear blisters, (lesions). The blisters often appear in groups,
or clusters. Some people only get one blister sometimes. These
lesions rupture on about the 5th day to form wet ulcers that
are terribly painful to touch, and can be associated with painful
sex, painful urination, pain in the lymph nodes in the groin
and terrible pain in area of the blisters.
In women, blister
can appear on the vulva, around or in the vagina, or anywhere
in the genital area. Involvement of the cervix occurs about
80% of the time during the first outbreak -- but you can't see
your cervix yourself -- your health care provider can. In men,
the infection can cause lesions on the penis, on the penis shaft,
on the glans penis (head) and scrotum, and sometimes in the
urethra. Some people infected with genital herpes will have
NO symptoms at all.
Initial
symptoms and recurrent outbreak symptoms may include:
*
painful sores (blisters) on the genitals of both sexes, thighs,
or buttock
*
tingling, and itching
*
fever (often only with the first outbreak of blisters)
* flu-like symptoms (headache, muscle ache, fever, chills, fatigue)
*
vaginal discharge
*
painful urination
* painful sex
* tender, enlarged lymph nodes in the groin
2 to 12
days.
Treatment
Genital
herpes can not be cured. The virus will stay in your body forever,
but it will remain dormant most of the time, if you are lucky.
There is a treatment for it that your health care provider can
prescribe. Acyclovir, an anti-viral drug, can relieve the symptoms
faster than they would without the drug. Acyclovir or famciclovir
(Famvir) will also shorten the amount time you are contagiousness
and help you have fewer and shorter outbreaks in the future.
Ask your health care provider about this drug if you have genital
herpes it works very well for many people.
If a woman
has herpes during pregnancy, she can pass the disease to her
baby during delivery. A pregnant woman with a history of herpes
must tell her obstetrician. If you have an outbreak at the time
of delivery, a cesarean section is usually performed instead
of a vaginal birth and will usually prevent any complications
to the child.
Prevention
To
prevent genital herpes:
Ask
and talk! Ask your partner(s) if they have had herpes because
herpes may be spread from areas not protected by condoms; for
example, the groin, thigh, and abdomen.
Abstain from sexual intercourse.
Use condoms every time
you have intercourse, condoms and spermicide used properly will
protect you from HSV-II
Avoid oral-genital and
oral-anal sex with someone who has cold sores on the mouth,
or if you have cold sores. Cold sores are caused by HSV-I and
can infect the genitals.
CoolNurse.com
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