Better health and better sex are the two sides of the same coin. It is often seen that a person's sex life is a direct giveaway to his/her overall lifestyle. But sexual health may receive a serious setback with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). They spread mainly through intimate contacts, including kissing, oral sex and intercourse. They can be really hazardous for you and your partner. Proper treatment is a must when you are diagnosed with STI, to prevent long-term damages to the genitals. Also, STI can pass on to newborn infants when mother is infected. Breastfeeding during an active outbreak of STI may be dangerous to the baby.
Genital herpes - what is it?
Genital herpes is one of the commonest STIs prevalent in adults and adolescents. Caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV), this condition is marked by sporadic to frequent outbreaks of painful symptoms in the genitals. Symptoms may include red blisters and sores, itching, vaginal discharges, fever and headaches, problems with urinating and skin ulcers. But you may not experience any of these signs for days while you still carry the herpes virus. On other occasions, you may notice the symptoms in the first few days, which will be most painful and discomforting for you. They tend to go away with antiviral medicines, but may reappear episodically.
Genital herpes as an STI
The herpes virus has two categories - HSV-I and HSV-II. The former type is responsible primarily for fever blisters or cold sores in lips. But the latter type is behind genital herpes, which is more acute and painful than cold sores. HSV-I can be sexually transmitted, but incidences are rare. On the other hand, HSV-II is highly infectious and can be transmitted by person-to-person contact.
Does HSV-II cause cold sores too?
Cold sores or fever blisters (herpes labialis) are categorized under oral herpes. It is generally caused by herpes simplex virus type-I, but the type-II virus, which primarily infects the genital areas, can also cause herpes labialis.
How do I recover from genital herpes?
Till date, there is no treatment of genital herpes. The herpes simplex virus, once in, stays with you for the rest of your life. Antiviral medicines such as Famvir and Valtrex curb the virus and prevent the symptoms from recurring. After some time, the virus may go to a perpetually latent state, not causing any outbreak anymore. But if sores and blisters occur time and again, you may be advised by your doctor to carry on taking medicines. The best time to take medicines is when you're about to be reinfected by the virus.
Both these medications, Famvir and Valtrex, are available online. Consult a doctor before you take any of these medications. You can also seek online consultation if you are not comfortable talking to your own doctor. Do remember that living with herpes does not mean that you will forever suffer from outbreaks, or have a less enjoyable sex life. All you need is proper and timely treatment and everything will be under control.
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