Herpes

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection passed on through vaginal, anal and oral sex.

Symptoms

Symptoms of genital herpes include:

small blisters that burst to leave red, open sores around your genitals, anus, thighs or bottom – the sores may be less red on brown or black skin

tingling, burning or itching around your genitals

pain when you pee

discharge that is not usual for you

Testing

If you think you've got herpes, a nurse or doctor will ask about your symptoms and your sexual partners. With your consent, they'll also use a small cotton bud (swab) to take some fluid from one of your blisters or sores for testing. This can only be done if you currently have sores.

Symptoms might not appear for weeks or even years after you're infected with the herpes virus, so it's worth getting checked out even if you develop sores, even if you have not had a new partner for a while.

Treatment

There isn't a cure for herpes, but treatment can help you manage the symptoms.

You might be prescribed antiviral medicine to stop the symptoms getting worse – you need to start taking this within 5 days of the symptoms appearing. You might also be prescribed cream for the pain. If you attend a clinic, your nurse or doctor can discus

Self Help

You can help manage your herpes symptoms at home by:

keeping the area clean using plain or salt water to prevent blisters becoming infected
applying an ice pack wrapped in a flannel to soothe pain
applying petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline) or painkilling cream (such as 5% lidocaine) to reduce pain when you pee
washing your hands before and after applying cream or jelly
peeing while pouring water over your genitals to ease the pain