Symptoms of Genital Herpes: What to look out for

When first becoming infected with the herpes virus it is possible that you will feel ill with a minor fever, aches, and pains – much like having a common cold or flu. Clusters of little, but painful, blisters will materialize in the genital and/or anal region. The tendency is for the blisters to show up in crops over a one to two week period. They then turn into smaller sores.

In males, the glands of the groin area may become swollen and you may feel as though there are lumps in the upper part of your legs. Females often experience unusual discharge from the vagina. Both men and women may experience discomfort when urinating. The blisters and sores endure for up to fourteen days and slowly but surely mend without leaving any scars.

In some cases, symptoms are much milder. You may only have an area around your genitals that feels irritated and raw or only one or two blisters erupt. For those that are fortunate symptoms may only last a few days. In addition, you can become infected and never experience any symptoms for months or even years later.

Also, it is not uncommon for a person to never develop any symptoms whatsoever following infection. In fact, this is the case for approximately four out of five people. It may be for some of these individuals, the outbreaks they experience are so mild that they are not even aware that they have contracted genital herpes. It is important to remember that infected individuals, whether they have had a breakout or not, can pass the infection on during sexual intercourse.