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How do I find out if I have Herpes?
For some, the big question is, Do I have herpes? According to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 45 million
people in the United States ages 12 and older, are
infected with Herpes. That means that 1 out of 5 of
the total adolescent and adult population has been exposed to
Herpes.
In the United States since the late 1970’s, the number of people
with genital herpes infection has increased 30 percent.
One of the largest increases is occurring in young teens.
Herpes can remain in the nerve cells of people for all of their lives.
The symptoms of Herpes can also be a lifetime commitment.
Herpes is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus or HSV. There
are two types of HSV, and both can cause genital herpes. HSV type 1 most
commonly infects the lips, causing sores known as fever blisters or cold
sores, but it also can infect the genital area and produce sores. HSV
type 2 is the usual cause of genital herpes, but it also can infect the
mouth.
What are the Symptoms of a Herpes Infection? What Does A Herpes
Outbreak Look like? What are the First Signs of Herpes?
Herpes is another one of the “silent” sexually transmitted
diseases or infections. Unfortunately, most people who have been infected
with Herpes never know it because they either don’t have any symptoms
or they don’t recognize the symptoms that they do have.
Signs and symptoms of Herpes can be different for each person. Most
times, when you become infected with Herpes for the first time, the symptoms
appear within 2 to 10 days. And this first episode may last between 2
to 3 weeks.
The signs and symptoms that you have been exposed to the Herpes virus
are the same for men and women. The early symptoms of genital herpes
are:
- Generalized aches and pains in the legs, buttocks
and sexual organ area
- Pain and pressure in the area between your belly
button and your sexual organs
- An unusual discharge from the vagina or penis
- An itching or burning feeling in your sexual organs
area including the rectum
- A fever and upset stomach that you may think is
the flu
The next stage of the symptoms of Herpes includes:
- An itching or burning before the blisters appear
- Blisters
near the area where the virus has entered the body
such as the mouth, penis or vagina
- Open sores develop
next, crust over and then heal
- Swollen glands in
the area between your belly button and your sexual
organs
- A burning sensation when you urinate
Herpes Transmission - How Do You get Herpes?
Most people get genital herpes by having sex with someone who is having
a herpes "outbreak." This outbreak means that Herpes virus
is active.
When active, the virus usually causes visible lesions in the genital
area. The lesions shed (cast off) viruses that can
infect another person. Sometimes, however, a person can have an outbreak
and have no visible sores at all. People often get genital herpes by
having sexual contact with others who don't know they are infected or
who are having outbreaks of herpes without any sores.
A person with genital herpes also can infect you during oral sex.
How do I know for sure if I have Herpes? Herpes Testing...
There are laboratory tests available from Private Diagnostics that can
help to determine if you have Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). There are also
laboratory tests that can determine if you have HSV type 1 or HSV type
2.
**PLEASE NOTE: THE HERPES TEST IS A LESION SWAB
TEST ONLY.**
THIS IS NOT A URINE TEST.
Why get Treatment?
While there is no cure for the virus that cause Herpes, there are some
prescribed medications that can treat the Herpes Simplex Virus as well
as to help to prevent future outbreaks.
There are also natural treatments and remedies which will help to strengthen
your immune system and delay any future outbreaks.
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