An Overview of Early Symptoms of Genital Herpes
When a person is infected with
genital herpes, symptoms do not begin right away. It usually takes two weeks after becoming infected to begin developing signs and symptoms (known as a herpes outbreak), although this incubation period can be as short as one day or as long as a month. However, not everyone infected with herpes has early symptoms. In fact, it is common for people to have no symptoms with the initial infection -- but they can still spread herpes!
Specific Early Genital Herpes Signs and Symptoms
A person who does have early symptoms of genital herpes may have a variety of symptoms that vary in severity. Some of these early signs and symptoms include:
- An itching or burning feeling in the genital or anal area
- Flu-like symptoms, including a fever, headaches, a general ill feeling (malaise), and muscle aches
- Swollen glands
- Pain in the legs, buttocks, or genital area
- Vaginal, anal, or urinary passage (urethral) discharge
- A feeling of pressure in the area below the stomach
- Painful urination.
Within a few days, sores (also called lesions) show up where the virus has entered the body, such as on the mouth, penis, anus, or vagina. Sores can also show up on a woman's cervix or in the urinary passage in men or women. The sores are small red bumps that may turn into blisters or painful open sores. Over a period of days, the sores become crusted and then heal without scarring. All told, the time period from the beginning of symptoms is usually around two to four weeks.
