Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection that can be passed on through penetrative, oral, and anal sex. While it isn’t a life-threatening condition, it can be very uncomfortable, and some people might find dealing with this distressing. It is important to understand the symptoms of genital herpes and treatment options, so if you are concerned that you have contracted them, below is a quick guide on how you can deal with this.
Symptoms
The usual symptoms of genital herpes can include a burning sensation when you urinate or itching in your genital area. Small blisters on your genitals that leave open sores around your genitals, anus area, and thighs. Women may also experience unusual vaginal discharge. It’s also worth noting that these symptoms can take months to appear, so even if you haven’t had sex recently, don’t ignore these signs.
See a Doctor Immediately
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, it’s important to make an appointment with your doctor or visit a sexual health clinic as soon as possible. They will be able to prescribe you some treatments to help soothe the symptoms and make you more comfortable, as well as offer further advice on how to practice safe sex to reduce the chances of contracting further STIs. They may also be able to provide further tests, if you want them, to check if you have any other issues that might have been caused by unprotected sexual encounters.
Treatment Options
As mentioned above, your doctor will be able to discuss your treatment options, but some things that they may suggest include antiviral medications that will need to be taken within the first five days of your symptoms appearing. These aciclovir 400mg tablets are a good example of this type of medication. They might also offer topical creams to help alleviate some of the pain and discomfort you experience.
You can also treat symptoms at home by keeping the area clean using saltwater on the blisters, applying Vaseline, and keeping your hands clean before and after handling these areas. You should also avoid wearing tight clothing, not touching the sores unless applying creams or topical treatment, and not having sex until the sores have completely gone away.
Will Herpes Go Away?
Unfortunately, the herpes virus will remain in your body once you have contracted it. It won’t cause herpes elsewhere on your body, but it can flare up again around your genitalia. Some triggers include UV light, smoking, tight clothing, friction from sex, and alcohol consumption.
Sex with Genital Herpes
It might be uncomfortable, but you should let your sexual partners know that you have the genital herpes virus before engaging in sexual activity with them. Always wear condoms to help prevent passing on herpes to your partners, and let previous partners know so that they can get tested or look out for symptoms themselves.
If you are concerned that you have contracted genital herpes, consider the points above to help you navigate your way through this and find a way to be more comfortable and practice safe sex in the future.
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