It can also increase the risk of transmitting HIV. Genital herpes can make it easier for a person to get infected with HIV. Fortunately, infections in babies are rare. It is important for a woman to talk with her doctor or midwife about how to reduce the risk of passing herpes to the baby during delivery. If there are sores at the time of delivery, a C-section is usually done. However, if genital herpes is contracted late in the pregnancy there is a greater risk of passing the infection onto the baby. Women who have genital herpes can still get pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Blood tests are sometimes used to help with diagnosis.

There are no good screening tests for herpes. Often health care providers diagnose herpes by recognizing the symptoms. If a person has symptoms, a doctor or nurse can swab the blister(s) and send the fluid to the laboratory for testing. Herpes can be spread to other parts of the body (including the eye), so it is important to wash and dry your hands carefully if you touch herpes sores. Sometimes a person may not have a noticeable outbreak until years after they first get the infection.

With repeat outbreaks, a person may notice symptoms such as tingling or burning even before the sores appear. The number of outbreaks tends to decrease with time and repeat outbreaks are usually milder and shorter. There are usually fewer outbreaks with HSV-1. People with HSV-2 can typically get four to five outbreaks a year. The herpes virus stays in the body indefinitely and can cause future outbreaks. There may also be fever, flu-like symptoms, swollen glands, and painful urination. New blisters and sores can appear during this time. The blisters break and leave painful ulcers (sores) that may take two to three weeks to heal. Typically, one or more blisters appear around the genitals or rectum. If there are symptoms during the first outbreak they can be quite severe and usually appear within two weeks after infection. They may have no symptoms or mild symptoms that can be mistaken for other conditions like a cut, rash, or skin irritation.

Most people who get herpes are not aware of the infection. HSV-1 is the virus that causes cold sores and can also infect the genitals through unprotected oral sex. There are two types of virus that cause herpes: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Genital Herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV).

Can you get hsv2 from touching