What is Herpes? Symptoms, Causes & Treatment!

In this post i would like to explain in detail what is herpes, what are the symptoms and what treatment options are available.

What is Herpes?

Herpes is a viral infection which often affects the mouth area which is known as oral herpes or indeed around the genital area which is known as genital herpes. Historically people used to feel that there's two types of herpes. There is herpes type one virus (that causes cold sores) and herpes type two virus are referred to as HSV1 and HSV2 respectively.

In olden days, previous to our current knowledge, HSV1 was considered an infection of the lips or the oral area. HSV2 on the other hand was considered an infection of the genital area. However as social patterns have changed and people have sex in different ways, we now know that you can get herpes type 2 on the mouth. Furthermore you can get herpes type 1 on the genitals too.

It's not as simple as saying herpes type one is one is mouth related and herpes type two is genital related. You can get both HSV1 and HSV 2 in both places.

Genital herpes as mentioned before can be caused by the herpes type 1 virus or herpes type 2 virus. Generally when you get your first outbreak of herpes, it is very painful. It usually comes on after about 2 to 5 days after sexual exposure. The sexual exposure can either be oral sex, anal sex or vaginal sex.

The types of symptoms that you develop are generally painful fluid-filled blisters, so you will get these tiny looking yellow or green fluid-filled blisters around the site of contact so that can be around the anus area or anal area around the vagina area on the penis or of course you can get an outbreak around the lips as mentioned before. It presents itself in the form of painful blisters.

Generally, when you have your first outbreak of herpes you always know about it, as it can be very painful. Other very common signs or symptoms of herpes would include:

Flu-like symptoms - you might feel like you've got a cold or flu or if it's shivery or shaky or your muscles are a little bit sore around your buttocks area and around your thighs.

Other symptoms include pain when you pee or a very painful and unusual discharge from your vagina or your penis. This may be green or yellow in color and you may experience severe pain during sex.

However most people during their primary outbreak of herpes wouldn't have sex because it is such a painful experience. This is where the problem with herpes lies! It is very important that the very first time you get herpes infection that you see a specialist doctor who deals with sexual infections.

It is not all bad news for sufferers of herpes. If you do get another outbreak it's always less painful and lasts a shorter amount of time than before. That is also really important.

How Common is Herpes?

As I mentioned before there's herpes type 1 and herpes type 2. Herpes type 1 in some countries and most developed countries like North America, European countries can be as common as 80 to 90%. Most of us have the antibodies to herpes type 1 floating in our blood.

We got infected when we were kids from getting kisses from our mum or dad or relatives and that's the most common way of getting herpes type one. When you contract it, you have these antibodies floating around your blood and they don't do any harm at all.

They're just the same as having antibodies to a cold or a flu virus. They don't do any harm and up to 90 percent of people will have antibodies to Herpes type 1 meaning they would have been exposed already.

So how common is herpes type 2?

Herpes type 2 is also really common and in some countries up to 60% of the population has herpes type 2. This is why it is not all as serious and as doom and gloom as you may think.

How Is a Herpes Test Done?

Herpes is tested most commonly by taking a swab from one of the blisters or what in medical terminology is called a lesion. You should visit your doctor if you think you're having a outbreak and a little swab will be taken from that area

Alternately, if you're shedding the virus in the vaginal area or in the urinary tract (this is called viral shedding) you will be asked to provide a urine sample that is used to test for herpes.

Is there a Cure for Herpes?

Right now there is not an official cure for herpes and that is what causes a lot of stress and frustration in people who are infected. However, there is really good medication out there called antivirals. The minute you think you see signs of an outbreak which includes tingling or itching around the genital area or muscle pain or blisters then you should visit your doctor as soon as possible.

Your doctor will give you antivirals for three days and most doctors once you're diagnosed with herpes, will give you a prescription to be filled at the pharmacy and get that filled the minute you think you're getting a outbreak and that's an important thing to ask your family doctor or your specialist doctor for.

Is Herpes treatable?

The herpes virus lives in the little nerve endings beneath the skin and when it wakes up, it causes an outbreak and that's when you need antiviral medications. The important thing to remember about the antiviral medication is it reduces the pain of the herpes.

It also reduces how long you get the herpes outbreak for and stops you from transmitting the virus to your sexual partner. This is very important as it also helps to reduce the anxiety in individuals who are sexually active.

It is very important to note that there are also natural Herpes Erasers that will help to fight the virus inside the human body. They can also help the body to naturally lessen the amount of outbreaks of herpes and to speed up the healing process.

Can you still have sex if you have herpes?

Yes you can, because as mentioned before, up to 80% of people in the population have type 1 in their blood. 40-60% of people have herpes type 2, so you can of sex. However, because it isn't a curable sexual infection, you should tell your sexual partners that you have had it in the past.

It is recommended that you avoid any form of sexual intercourse during an herpes outbreak or if you are showing any symptoms of the disease. The reason is that's when the virus is more active in your skin (this is called viral shedding) all the time skin is dying off and you're losing skin.

As the virus lives in the upper layers of the skin if you're shedding the virus that's when you're very infectious. This also one of the times that it is recommended that you go on your antiviral medication because that reduces how infectious you are.

Therefore, you can of course still have a normal full healthy sex life, but it is advisable to tell your sex partners and it's also advisable that if you're having an outbreak that you avoid sex during the outbreak.

How common are herpes outbreaks?

One of the most common questions asked by patients is, how often these outbreaks occur after an initial outbreak. As mentioned before, your initial outbreak is always the most painful and it lasts the longest. Any subsequent outbreaks are usually shorter and they're much less painful.

So how many outbreaks are you going to get?

First of all the most important thing to note is that it is in the first six months that your doctor will get a good idea of what the future patterns are going to be like. If you don't get many outbreaks in the first 6 months after your initial outbreak, then that is a good sign that the herpes virus is going to burn itself out and not cause you too much trouble.

However if you are unfortunate to get many outbreaks in the first 6 months, that will give yourself and your doctor an idea of a need to take an antiviral tablet every day, to prevent future outbreaks.

Which Type of Herpes is the Worst?

Patients often ask which is the worst type of herpes? Is it herpes type 1 or herpes type 2?

In reality herpes type 1 tends not to come back as frequently or not cause as many outbreaks and tends not to be as painful. It is also much more common in the general population. Herpes type 2 does tend to cause more outbreaks and tends to be a little more painful at the first outbreak. As mentioned earlier, it is the first 6 months after infection, that your doctor will get a good idea, if you need to be on regular antiviral medication or not.

Conclusion

Finally, if you're worried at all about any of the infections or any of the illnesses mentioned in this article, make sure to visit your doctor. Your doctor will answer more of your questions and will advise you on the right herpes treatment or the appropriate steps to take to treat your herpes condition.