Signs and Symptoms of Genital Herpes

The lack of symptoms and the delay in expression of signs make genital herpes one of the dangerous diseases. This article reviews the most common signs and symptoms of genital herpes.

Genital herpes is one of the most dreadful sexually transmitted diseases. The worst thing about this disease is that in most cases the symptoms are so mild that they usually go unnoticed.

So, if you are afflicted with genital herpes and are unaware of it, you inadvertently pass it on to your partner. Usually the first outbreak of genital herpes is the worst and the most painful. In most cases in fact, there are no recurrent outbreaks while in some cases patients may experience a second outbreak years after the first one.

There are however some symptoms to suggest occurrence of genital herpes. You may develop red bumps, open sores, ulcers and blisters around your genital and anal regions. This is usually followed by mild pain or itching or both around your buttocks, genital areas and inner thighs.

At times the blisters and bumps follow the initial pain and itching. After several days, the blisters rupture and ooze fluid and blood inside. Eventually scabs are formed which indicate the first signs of healing.

The type of sores and their location may differ from a man to a woman. In men, there can be blister formation on the scrotum, penis, anus, thighs or buttocks. They can sprout even inside the scrotum (the channel that leads to the bladder) but you may not be able to see it yourself. In women, sores usually erupt in the vaginal area, buttocks, cervix, anus and even on her external genitals.

When you have genital herpes, you will experience pain and burning even while urinating. There may also be mild tenderness and pain in your genitals till the time the infection gets cured. At the time of the outbreak of blisters and boils, you may notice flu-like signs, such as muscle ache, headache and even fever. In extreme cases, patients have also reported swollen lymph nodes in their groin region.

But these symptoms, and the degree of their visibility, vary from person to person. As discussed earlier, genital herpes symptoms often show up late and may even fail to show up completely.

If you experience recurrent genital herpes (the chances of which are very low), the symptoms are usually less severe. Almost negligible pain or a tingling sensation is associated with recurrence of this disease. This usually occurs because of an inflammation of nerves in the genital region. But remember, that the stealthy nature of this disease is what makes it so dangerous.