Symptoms of Genital Herpes
Genital Herpes Fact Sheet (PDF
70 KB)
Most people with genital herpes are not aware of their infection as
there are typically no (or minimal) signs or symptoms of the infection. When
symptoms do occur, they appear as one or more blisters on or around the
genitals or the rectum. When the blisters break, they leave tender ulcers,
known as sores or lesions, which may take up to 2-4 weeks to heal.
Flu-like symptoms, including fever, swollen glands, and headache, may also
accompany an individual’s primary episode along with a second crop of
lesions. However, most people with genital herpes never experience visible
symptoms, or the symptoms are so small that they are often mistaken for
another skin condition, insect bites, ingrown hairs, yeast infections, etc.
Most people diagnosed with a primary episode will experience four to five
more outbreaks (symptomatic recurrences) in the first year. The virus can
stay in the body indefinitely; however, outbreaks typically decrease in
frequency over time. Outbreaks are highly individualized, but things like
physical and emotional stress, illness, and poor diet may contribute to
increased frequency of outbreaks.
|
