Genital Herpes Symptoms in Women

Out of the two herpes virus strains, namely Herpes Simplex Type 1 and Herpes Simplex Type 2, the latter is responsible for causing genital herpes, a sexually transmitted disease. It is contracted when a person's skin is exposed to this virus by being in direct contact with the infected person's skin. Although, both men and women are prone to getting infected by the herpes virus, women are at a greater risk as the cells in their genital area are moistened by the body fluids more than those on the men's genital area. Also, a woman's immune system gets weakened during her menstruation, thus making her more prone to catching an infection.

Once a woman gets infected by this virus, it is a possibility that it never leaves her body. It may stay dormant for years and then one day due to certain triggers, like an illness or stress, its symptoms might suddenly appear again. To avoid this, it is very important for a woman to take timely treatment. Given below are the symptoms, which will help to identify an infection so that the treatment can be taken as soon as possible.

Initial Symptoms

After a woman gets infected by the herpes virus, it may take a few weeks before the symptoms actually appear. In the initial stages, some of the commonly seen symptoms in women are - different colored/textured vaginal discharge, itching and burning in the vaginal region and pain/burning sensation when urinating. There is swelling experienced in the lymph nodes of the groin along with bloating in the abdomen. Sometimes the itching may spread to the buttocks and upper legs as well. In some women, flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, pain in muscles and joints, soreness in buttocks and upper legs might be experienced too.

Later Symptoms

When the outbreak of the disease actually takes place, a woman will experience immense pain while urinating. There will be appearance of blisters on her genitals, upper legs and buttocks. The blisters vary in size, in the sense that they can be as small as a pimple and as big as a coin. These blisters sometimes appear alone and sometimes they can occur as legions. The blisters, if not treated in time, will burst open and deteriorate the condition further. The unusual vaginal discharge will continue throughout the outbreak of genital herpes in women. A rash on the genital area is seen in many women who contract this disease.

Misdiagnosis of Genital Herpes Symptoms

Researches have shown that the first outbreak in women lasts on an average for around three weeks and most of the time it is the worst one. However, in some women the symptoms might be missing altogether. Sometimes, a woman might mistake the herpes infection for boils. Also, there have been instances when genital herpes was misdiagnosed as a yeast infection or a pelvic inflammatory disease. It is because of these reasons that herpes infection is sometimes not diagnosed in time and its cure does not happen.

Genital herpes can take a toll on a woman's physical as well as emotional health, especially if the outbreak episodes are recurrent. So if a woman is experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms, instead of feeling ashamed or getting anxious, she should contact a doctor immediately. The treatment options include medical, natural as well as homeopathic cures.