Many people choose to treat herpes simplex because treatment can relieve symptoms and shorten an outbreak. Most people are treated with an antiviral medicine. An antiviral cream or ointment can relieve the burning, itching, or tingling.
An antiviral medicine that is oral pills or intravenous shot can shorten an outbreak of herpes. Prescription antiviral medicines approved for the treatment of both types of herpes simplex include:.
Taken daily, these medicines can lessen the severity and frequency of outbreaks. They also can help prevent infected people from spreading the virus. The first primary outbreak of herpes simplex is often the worst. Not all first outbreaks are severe, though. Some are so mild that a person does not notice. There are two common misconceptions about getting herpes.
The first is that your partner lied to you about not having herpes if you suddenly have an outbreak. The second is that your partner cheated on you since you haven't had sex with anyone else in years. While is possible that both are true, there are other explanations for why you may suddenly have had your first herpes outbreak.
This articles explores some of the more common reasons and what you can do to prevent or treat a herpes infection. Just because you had your first outbreak doesn't mean you were just infected. It is not uncommon to have been exposed to the virus earlier in life and for the infection to only become symptomatic months or years later.
In the United States, almost one in six adults has herpes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC , the disease is often asymptomatic meaning there are no symptoms or the symptoms may be so mild that people don't even notice them. Because of this, many people don't even realize they have herpes until one of their partners has an outbreak. In other words, when someone says, "I didn't know I had herpes," they may be telling the truth.
The herpes virus is also more infectious at certain times than others. Asymptomatic shedding , in which the body suddenly releases viral particles, can increase or decrease—and often for no apparent reason. When viral shedding is low, so too is the risk of transmission. This means that even if your partner has herpes, they may not have given it to you. In the end, both you and your partner may have been infected by somebody else in the past, and your outbreak only happened to occur now.
Just because you had your first outbreak of herpes doesn't mean you were recently infected. Many people get infected months or years earlier and will only experience an outbreak in later life. Another misconception is that you only get genital herpes through vaginal or anal sex.
While it is true that herpes simplex virus 1 HSV-1 is commonly linked to cold sores and herpes simplex virus 2 HSV-2 is commonly linked to genital herpes, it is possible to genital herpes if someone with a cold sore performs oral sex on you.
On the flip side, you can also get a cold sore by performing oral sex on someone with genital herpes. Herpes autoinoculation is also possible. This is when you touch a cold sore on your mouth and then touch your genitals or vice versa. Although this is rare, it can occur. People have also been known to get herpes in their eyes when they accidentally transfer the virus from the genitals or mouth. For this reason, washing hands frequently is important if you have a herpes outbreak of any sort. The herpes virus that commonly causes cold sores called HSV-1 can be passed to the genitals during oral sex.
If you have a genital herpes outbreak, the first thing to do is get treated. Your doctor will likely put you on a short course of antiviral drugs like Famvir famciclovir , Valtrex valacyclovir , or Zovirax acyclovir. Your risk is based almost entirely on exposure to the infection. In cases of sexually transmitted HSV, people are more at risk when they have sex not protected by condoms or other barrier methods. If a pregnant woman is having an outbreak of genital herpes at the time of childbirth, it can expose the baby to both types of HSV, and may put them at risk for serious complications.
They may also transmit the virus to others. You may also experience symptoms that are similar to the flu. These symptoms can include:. HSV can also spread to the eyes, causing a condition called herpes keratitis. This can cause symptoms such as eye pain , discharge, and a gritty feeling in the eye.
This type of virus is generally diagnosed with a physical exam. Your doctor may check your body for sores and ask you about some of your symptoms. Your doctor may also request HSV testing. This is known as a herpes culture. It will confirm the diagnosis if you have sores on your genitals. During this test, your doctor will take a swab sample of fluid from the sore and then send it to a laboratory for testing. This is especially helpful when there are no sores present. Alternatively, at-home testing for Herpes Simplex is available.
You can buy a test kit online from LetsGetChecked here. Compare more top at-home herpes tests. If you need help finding a primary care doctor, you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool. There is currently no cure for this virus. Mothers can give the herpes virus to their baby during childbirth. If the baby is born during the mother's first episode of genital herpes, the baby can have serious problems. Once a person becomes infected with a herpes virus, the virus never leaves the body.
After the first outbreak, the virus moves from the skin cells to nerve cells. The virus stays in the nerve cells forever. But it usually just stays there.
In this stage, the virus is said to be dormant, or asleep. But it can become active again.
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