Symptoms of Herpes
Making Sense of the Symptoms of Herpes
Do you know the symptoms of herpes? Do you think that you may have herpes and you want to become aware of the symptoms so you can compare them to your own symptoms that you may be experiencing? This can be one way to help you identify whether or not you might have herpes. However, it’s important to know that there is no way to know 100% without a doubt unless you become tested by a doctor.
One thing that you need to know about the symptoms of herpes is that they can vary according to when you have an outbreak and whether or not it is your first outbreak or a recurrence. For the first outbreak, you will usually see symptoms from 2 to 20 days after the initial contact. In some cases it can continue for as much as 2 weeks after the initial outbreak occurrence.
For many people, the first outbreak is so mild it may go unnoticed. This is what can make it difficult for a person to know where or when they first contracted herpes. Usually these initial outbreaks will last from 10-21 days. It could be less severe in someone who has a partial immunity to the herpes virus because they have had oral herpes (cold sores).
You will have painful burning and itching in the affected area during the outbreak and you may also have swollen lymph glands, painful blisters around the area which can be inflamed, headaches, muscle aches, fever, discharge, burning during urination, lower back pain and possible small red bumps in the genital area which can go through the process of becoming painful blisters that will later crust over, create a scab and eventually, heal over.
Later outbreaks, called recurrences, will often happen in the same locations and usually consist of an outbreak of blisters but may not always have the other symptoms that the initial outbreak had. These are usually shorter and less severe than the first outbreak and they may decrease over time in severity as well as how frequently they happen.
Some warning signs (prodromes) of a herpes outbreak are itching, tingling, burning, numbness, flu-like symptoms, fatigue and generally feeling run-down. Many people learn to recognize these early symptoms of herpes and can then take steps to try to suppress the outbreak before it occurs full-force.
Tags: Featured News, Herpes Information
