Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection. A virus causes it. Herpes can cause painful genital sores. Some people who have genital herpes don't have symptoms. Most don’t know they have the infection.
For women who have sores, the first outbreak may last two to four weeks. Another outbreak can occur in weeks or months. It is almost always less severe and shorter than the first. Over time, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over time.
Genital herpes is common in the United States. One out of five adults has genital herpes. It is more common in women than men.
Babies can get the disease during delivery as they pass through the birth canal. If a baby does get herpes, the disease can be fatal. Fortunately, women rarely give the infection to their babies during delivery. If a woman has active sores when she delivers, she usually has a cesarean section.
Health care providers can diagnose genital herpes by looking at the genitals. They may also take a sample from the sores and test it in a laboratory. Blood tests may also be used.
There is no cure for genital herpes. Medications can help.
What you can do:
If you have sores on your genitals, talk to your health care provider.
While you're pregnant, you can avoid genital herpes by not having sex. If you do have sex, have sex with only one partner who is only having sex with you, has been tested for genital herpes, and is not infected. Condoms may not protect against infection because they don’t always cover all infected areas.
For more information, contact:
- National Herpes Hotline
(919) 361-8488
- CDC information line
(800) 232-4636
In English and Spanish
TTY for the deaf and hard of hearing (888) 232-6348