Genital Herpes Symptoms: The First Episode
When a person is first infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2 the immune system is not well developed and the virus can multiply more quickly and spread to more places than it might later. First symptoms can be uncomfortable and usually happen within two weeks after the virus is transmitted. However, some people have a first episode so mild they don’t notice it. Some people have no symptoms. When a symptom does occur, it could be a later episode or "reactivation" of an episode which occurred months or even years later.
First Episodes:
- Can take 4-6 weeks to heal fully
- May be the most extreme outbreak a person will ever have
- May cause small pimples or blisters (lesions), which will crust over and scab like a cut
- Can have a second crop of lesions that appear
- May cause flu-like symptoms: fever, swollen glands in lymph nodes near groin
- Vary with each person: may be obvious or hard to see, painful or unrecognized
- Frequent Genital Herpes Symptoms
Signs and symptoms will vary person by person, and from one episode to the next.
Some people who have latent herpes infection never experience signs or symptoms.
Some people have such mild symptoms that they may not recognize the infection for many years.
For others, outbreaks can be repeated often and cause extreme discomfort.
These are some common signs of recurrent outbreaks.
Recurrent Outbreaks:
- Breaks or irregularities in the skin, such as a cut, red bump or rash
- Small sores or classic blisters that form a crust
- May occur anywhere in the region between the legs, thigh, buttocks, anus, or pubis
- Healing occurs in half the time as the first outbreak
|  |  | | | | Dating for people with Herpes (HSV) or Genital Warts (HPV). | | |
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| |  | | | | | Dating for people with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). | | |
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| | | | | | | Dating for people with Hepatitis. | | |
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| | | | | | | Dating for the Single Parent. | | |
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