How much aware are you of women’s health? Unfortunately, not many people, especially women, are aware of their health in and out. Of all body parts, one of the crucial and most neglected sections of women’s health is sexual health. The sexual health of a woman includes scrutinizing the genitals, cervix, uterus, and every other organ related to the reproductive system. Ignoring your sexual health today can bring a detrimental effect in the future.
If you are a woman with an active sex life, you need to be even more careful about your sexual health. This is because you can get an infection even from your partner. An interesting part of the whole woman’s sexual health is even if you get a sexual infection, you will never get to know about it. This is largely because of the lack of symptoms of sexual infection. Yes, every time the sexual infection will not show up the symptoms. Does that mean you can consider a sexual infection lightly? Certainly not.
One of the most common types of sexual infection that affects women is herpes. Not many people are aware of it. therefore, we have come up with this blog. In this blog, we will share with you everything you need to know about herpes. So, without any further delay, let’s get started with the details of the blog.
What is herpes?
Better known as HSV, the herpes simplex virus is a viral infection that generally occurs in the genitals of the woman. Apart from the genitalia, you will also find them in the oral area as well. Herpes can be both symptomatic and asymptomatic. People with asymptomatic herpes will never know if they have been infected with herpes. This is because it does not show any symptoms on the outside.
People who have symptomatic herpes may experience some light sores or small blisters filled with fluids. The common areas of the body where you can find these symptoms include the genitals, lips, and mouth. However, sometimes, the symptoms of herpes can also occur in unusual areas like fingers, hands, and feet.
One of the many reasons people tend to be afraid of herpes is due to its transmission nature. It can be transmitted sexually. This means, if you or your partner suffers from herpes and has sex with someone devoid of any infection, he or she can get it from you. Unfortunately, many people are ashamed of herpes and tend to shy away from it. This embarrassment and shame will not cure the disease. Instead, have the courage to undergo an STD check in London.
Types of herpes
Primarily, there are two types of herpes, namely, HSV 1 and HSV 2. A person with HSV 1 has oral herpes, while a person with HSV 2 suffers from genital herpes. Some of the characteristics of HSV 1 include fever blister and cold sores that normally appear in and around your face and mouth. On the other hand, the characteristics of HSV 2 are sores and blisters in the anus, genitals, inner thighs, and buttocks. Sometimes, these sores can also develop inside the vagina.
Causes of herpes
Before getting into the causes, you have to possess a detailed understanding of the nature of the herpes virus. Herpes is contagious. This means you can get herpes if you come in touch with the sores of herpes. In short, herpes can get spread via direct touch. In addition, herpes tends to shed. Although this shedding takes place in small amounts, it can be dangerous enough to get infected. Besides, even if you do not have symptoms, you can get herpes.
The causes of herpes depend on its type. Since HSV 1 occurs in the oral areas, someone can get this infection via direct contact. Some examples of this direct contact include oral sex, kissing, and skin-to-skin contact. To make it simpler, if you touch a sore of your partner and then come in contact with any part of your body without cleaning your hands, you can get HSV 1.
On the other hand, HSV 2 occurs due to genital contact. Some of the ways by which you can get direct contact with this virus include oral sex, kissing, sexual intercourse, using same-sex toys, and skin-to-skin contact. Although the symptoms in both cases might differ, the location of these symptoms can often be the same.
Symptoms of herpes
As we had already told early in this blog, you will not get symptoms of herpes all the time. Further, the kind of symptoms and their severity will also differ from one person to another. Some of the primary symptoms of herpes include the following:
- Fever
- Lack of appetite
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Excruciating pain at the site of the sores and blisters
- Unexplained fatigue and tiredness
- Tingling and burning sensation in the sores and blisters
- Bursting blisters
The kind of blisters and sores you have might not be similar to your partner’s and vice versa. the more you delay beginning the treatment, the more will the infection get spread. Eventually, these blisters will mature and burst. The healing of the blisters might take some time. The development of the blisters from the primary stage may go up to 6 weeks. Even though herpes blisters get healed, they can still get transmitted. Therefore, it is wise to consult with a gynecologist as soon as possible.
Diagnosing herpes
Whenever you notice anything unusual in your sexual health, the first thing that you should do is to look for a reputed gynecologist and get into a consultation with him. The first step of diagnosing is physical screening. The doctor will first ask you to show the symptoms. This might include a thorough check-up of the genitals and cervix.
Sometimes people who come to the doctor without any symptoms would have to undergo a blood test or culture. The HIV blood testing is pretty simple. In the case of culture, the lab technician collects swabs or cell samples from the genitals to put them to test.
Conclusion
Therefore, herpes can be dangerous if you do not treat them in the long run. However, there is nothing to be scared of a sexual infection. You can get away with you with proper treatment at the right time and effective STD checks in London.
Image Source: https://www.firstpost.com/health/herpes-infections-types-causes-risks-and-treatment-11421061.html
