Herpes

Is a virus that can cause cold sores round the mouth or in the genital area. 

How you get it: 

Unprotected sexual contact including oral sex and other genital skin to skin contact. Cold sores round the mouth can be passed to the partner’s genital area.

Symptoms: 

Not everyone will get symptoms. A first attack may make you feel very unwell with flu-like symptoms with painful blisters around the genital area. It may be very painful to pee.

Treatment: 

A course of tablets if symptoms are bad.  Use painkillers such as paracetamol if you are sore. 

The blisters may come back but the first outbreak is usually the worst.  Often the blisters don’t come back at all.

Mild recurrent attacks do not need treatment – your own immune system will clear up the blisters in a few days and tablets will not speed this up.

My sexual partner has herpes – what should I do?

Herpes is easiest to diagnose during an attack. If you don’t have blisters there are no tests we can do to diagnose herpes.

If you are worried about the symptoms, make an appointment with the clinic at the beginning of an attack.

If you don’t have significant discomfort or pain from herpes, no treatment is required.