Genital Herpes – Symptoms and Treatment
Genital herpes is a highly contagious viral sexual infection, which is characterized by painful reappearing blisters and wounds on the skin. The treatment of herpes is necessary.
Genital herpes is an STD caused by the herpes virus: the most commonly herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), less often Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1). In women, the disease has slang name- vaginal herpes. HSV-1 usually affects the region around the mouth, but it also appears on the genitals (transmitted through oral sex), while HSV-2 usually occurs on the genitals.
HSV-1 basically occurs as a fever (small red blisters) that people get on the lips and mouth and there is no reason to be treated as sexual disease, since it can be transmitted in many ways, not just through sexual intercourse.
Symptoms of herpes
What is herpes?
Herpes symptoms are very noticeable, if present on the infected body. HSV-2 causes blisters in the genital region of both men and women, in a period of 3 weeks to 3 months after sexual contact with an infected person. The blisters first appear as small swelling, grow into the filled blisters and eventually burst discharging the pus. Symptoms of genital herpes during pregnancy are similar to symptoms when you aren’t pregnant.
Symptoms of a new outbreak of genital herpes include:
• painful sores on the genital area
• fever
• burning during urination
• swollen lymph nodes
• body aches
If you develop a herpes infection for the first time during pregnancy, your symptoms may present as more severe or noticeable than they would in a nonpregnant person.
Herpes treatment
If you have genital herpes, you may be prescribed an oral antiviral medication, such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir starting at around 35 weeks to help reduce the chances that you’ll have an outbreak of genital herpes at the time of delivery. The drugs can’t cure genital herpes, but they can help speed up healing if you have an outbreak of genital herpes and suppress future outbreaks while you get ready to have your baby.
As your labor begins, your doctor will carefully check for any genital herpes lesions – blisters or sores. If you don’t have any signs of an active outbreak of genital herpes when labor starts, you will probably be able to have a vaginal delivery.
If there are genital herpes lesions present during your labor, you will likely need to have a cesarean delivery to prevent tranmission of the herpes virus to the baby during delivery. Your doctor will discuss your options with you prior to your due date.
It’s important to get a proper diagnosis if you’ve been exposed to genetal herpes so that you and your doctor or healthcare professional can make a plan to avoid passing the herpes virus to your baby.