About Genital Herpes
The herpes virus in your    body
What are the signs and    symptoms?
Outbreaks
Who gets genital herpes?
Am I at risk?

Are you concerned you may have genital herpes?
The only way to know for sure is to see a doctor.
To help you overcome any hesitation or embarrassment, here’s what to expect when you visit the doctor – and some questions to ask the doctor so that you get the answers and advice you need.

Genital Herpes: The Facts

Genital herpes is a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) that is passed on through close, physical skin-to-skin contact.1 It is caused by a virus [?] that is common and contagious and for which there is no cure2 – but which can be managed with appropriate treatment and knowledge.

If you suspect, or know, you have herpes, you may be feeling upset, angry, worried, depressed or embarrassed – all of which are natural reactions. But you should know that you are not alone and that in fact, about 1 in every 5 North Americans also lives with genital herpes.3 (See Who gets genital herpes?)

The virus that causes genital herpes is known as the herpes simplex virus (HSV).  There are two types of HSV: Type 1 (HSV-1) and Type 2 (HSV-2). HSV-1 is the most common form of the virus, causing cold sores on or near the lips and mouth area. HSV-1 is also responsible for an increasing number of genital herpes infections because it can be transmitted to the genitals from a person with a cold sore during oral sex.3-6

HSV-2 has been the most common cause of genital herpes, causing sores and blisters on or near the genitals and surrounding areas. It is almost always transmitted through genital-to-genital contact.4,5,7

Both types of HSV can cause sores either on the lips or genitals (HSV-2 rarely occurs orally). What that means is, if you have a cold sore on your mouth (or even the beginning of one) and you engage in oral sex, you can pass on the virus to your partner’s genitals. Similarly, if you have a genital sore, the virus can be passed on to your partner through oral, anal or genital contact. You can even transmit genital herpes to your partner, and vice versa, when there are no sores, signs or symptoms.1,8

References

 

1. Whitley RJ, Kimberlin DW and Roizman B. Herpes Simplex Viruses. Clinical Infectious Diseases 1998;26:541-55.

2. Gupta R and Wald A. Genital Herpes: antiviral therapy for symptom relief and prevention of transmission. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2006;7(6):665-675.

3. Aoki FY. Canadian Guidelines on Sexually Transmitted Infections 2006 Edition, Health Canada.

4. Sacks SL. The Truth About Herpes. 4th ed. West Vancouver, BC: Gordon Soules Book Publishers Ltd.;1997.

5. Ebel C, Wald A. Managing Herpes: How to Live and Love With a Chronic STD. Research Triangle Park, NC: American Social Health Association;2002.

6. Ribes JA, Steele AD, Seabolt JP et al. Six-Year Study of the Incidence of Herpes in Genital and Nongenital Cultures in a Central Kentucky Medical Center Patient Population. J Clin Micro 2001;39(9):3321-3325.

7. Patrick DM, Dawar M, Cook DA et al. Antenatal seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in Canadian women. Sex Transm Dis 2001;28(7):424-428.

8. Mertz GJ, Benedetti J, Ashley R et al. Risk Factors for the Sexual Transmission of Genital Herpes. Annals of Internal Medicine 1992;116:197-202.

9. Wald A, Zeh J, Selke S et al. Virologic Characteristics of Subclinical and Symptomatic Genital Herpes Infections. NEJM 1995;333(12):770-775.

10. Wald A, Zeh J,Selke S et al. Genital Shedding of Herpes Simplex Virus among Men. Journal of Infectious Diseases 2002;186(Suppl 1):S34-S39.

11. Corey L, Wald A, Patel R et al. Once-Daily Valacyclovir to Reduce the Risk of Transmission of Genital Herpes. NEJM 2004;350(1):11-20.

12. Cuisini M and Ghislanzoni M. The importance of diagnosing genital herpes. J Antimicro Chemo 2001;47(Topic T1):9-16.

13. Steben M, Sacks SL. Genital herpes: The epidemiology and control of a common sexually transmitted disease. Can J Hum Sex 1997;6(2):127-134.

14. Wald A, Langenberg AGM, Link K et al. Effect of condoms on reducing the transmission of herpes simplex virus type 2 from men to women. JAMA 2001;285(24):3100-3106.  
 
15. Van der Laar MJ, Termorshuizen F, Slomka MJ et al. Prevalence and correlates of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection: Evaluation of behavioural risk factors. Int J Epidemiol 1998;27(1):127-134.
 
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