While it may be one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, living with genital herpes can be painful and embarrassing. At Capital Women’s Care in Leesburg and Sterling, Virginia, you’ll find fast and effective treatment for this uncomfortable condition. With a trusted team of women’s wellness physicians, you can be sure you’re in expert hands to manage your symptoms. Book an appointment today to get the relief you deserve.
Genital Herpes Q&A
What is genital herpes?
Caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV), genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease. You can get it through contact with a person who has the virus, but the most common way of contraction is through sexual contact.
As a virus, genital herpes can be dormant in your body for months or years. Outbreaks of physical symptoms may happen during times of stress (like pregnancy) or when the body’s immune system is compromised. When this happens, you may have painful sores or itching in the vaginal area.
You can also have genital herpes and have no symptoms at all. There is no cure for this type of STD, but your symptoms can be managed.
What are the symptoms of genital herpes?
Symptoms of genital herpes can be mild or extreme from one individual to the next. You’ll probably experience symptoms within about 12 days after you were exposed. These may include:
- Pain in the genitals. The vaginal area may feel tender or painful, typically “burning” in nature
- Itchy bumps or blisters. You might experience small bumps or blisters that are red, yellow, or itchy.
- Scabbing. As blisters heal, your skin might start to scab and become itchy or flaky.
- Fever. The initial outbreak of genital herpes might also come with a fever, swollen lymph nodes in the groin, achy muscles, or flu-like symptoms.
You’ll usually see physical symptoms at the location where the herpes virus entered your body, whether it’s on the vagina, anus, or mouth.
How can I treat genital herpes?
While it’s impossible to prevent a genital herpes outbreak completely, the good news is that there are ways to manage your symptoms. Your physician might prescribe medication to help your body combat the virus or to ease the pain of your physical symptoms.
Recurrences of an outbreak are common with genital herpes, but they tend to become less severe over time. You might have several outbreaks over the course of a year, and then no outbreaks at all for a while. Some patients only ever recall their first outbreak.
If you have genital herpes, it’s important to practice safe sex to make sure you don’t transmit it to another person through sexual contact, and there are medications to help reduce transmission to a sexual partner.
Contact the team at Capital Women’s Care today to schedule a confidential appointment about treating genital herpes.