Herpes - genital; Herpes simplex - genital; Herpesvirus 2; HSV-2

Many people with HSV-2 infection never have sores, or they have very mild symptoms that they do not even notice or mistake for insect bites or another skin condition.

If signs and symptoms do occur during the first outbreak, they can be quite severe. This first outbreak usually happens within 2 weeks of being infected.

Generalized or whole-body (systemic) symptoms may include:

• Decreased appetite
• Fever
• General sick feeling (Malaise)
• Muscle aches in the lower back, buttocks, thighs, or knees

Genital symptoms include the appearance of small, painful blisters filled with clear or straw-colored fluid. They are usually found:

• In women: on the outer vaginal lips (labia), vagina, cervix, around the anus, and on the thighs or buttocks
• In men: on the penis, scrotum, around the anus, on the thighs or buttocks
• In both sexes: on the tongue, mouth, eyes, gums, lips, fingers, and other parts of the body
• Before the blisters appear, the person may feel the skin tingling, burning, itching, or have pain at the site where the blisters will appear
• When the blisters break, they leave shallow ulcers that are very painful. These ulcers eventually crust over and slowly heal over 7 - 14 days or more

Images

Female reproductive anatomy

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Review Date: 05/09/2011
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Redmond, WA; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine (9/13/2009).

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