What exactly is herpes genitalia?

You may have heard a lot about the term but might be thinking to yourself what is herpes genitalia.

Genetal herpes is a very infectious yet very common disease, which is transmitted during sex. Genital herpes infection is characterized by small blisters, which eventually give way to painful sores.

Why it is so infectious

One of the main reasons why genetial herpes remains such an infectious disease is because infected persons are often not aware they are infected.

This is because the visible symptoms such as sores and blisters begin to appear only after two or ten days since the infection.

This means that the person could continue to have sexual activity without knowing they are infected and hence transmit the genitle herpes infection to someone else!

Another reason for this condition being so infectious is because of the shedding stage of the virus.

The HSV or Herpes Simplex Virus resides in a dormant state inside the nerves. Once it is activated, it moves to the skin surface and starts multiplying rapidly.

This process is called shedding and is the most contagious stages. 

Its appearance

When it comes to knowing more about what is herpes genitalia it is essential to understand the physical appearance of the infection.

The genital herpes begins as small blisters red in color, which later burst giving rise to sores.

These sores secrete juices, which carry the HSV virus in them. These result in acute genital herpes pain and discomfort. In men, it could be in the form of lesions located on the shaft or the tip of the penis and in women it could be in and around the vagina, although other parts may also be affected such as buttocks, thighs, urethra, anus etc.

In women, some common symptoms could be abnormal discharge from the vagina, fever, flu symptoms etc.

What causes it?

The main aspect for the causes of genital herpes is sexual contact. It could be sexual activity in the form of oral sex such as cunnilingus, analingus, fellatio or through anal or vaginal sex.

In any case, whenever there is a scope for bodily fluids to be exchanged, sexual or otherwise, genital herpes infection can spread through such means.

Thus, even kissing can result in saliva being exchanged and thus result in spread of the genital herpes outbreak. Even a contact through skin can trigger spread of the genital itch from an infected to an uninfected individual.

Typical symptoms

There are certain symptoms, which will help you understand more on what is herpes genitalia. The typical and most common symptoms include reddened skin in the form of blisters, which slowly build fluid inside and eventually burst causing sores.

These sores are also known as lesions and will eventually form scabs or crusts on them until they disappear altogether.

Other symptoms, which are milder and occur before the visible symptoms include fever, flu symptoms, feeling unwell, headaches, nausea sensation, burning while urination etc. Some women may also experience pain in the pelvic region, abnormal amounts of discharge from the vagina etc.