Gay Cumbria - Sexual Health
Below we have included some of the more important issues surrounding sexual health. If you feel we have not covered a topic which you would like to see please contact us.
Safer Sex | Chlamydia | Herpes | Gonorrhoea | Syphillis | Impotence | Your Mouth
Breast Self Examination | Testicular Examination | Cervical Smear
Male Condoms | Female Condoms
Herpes
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex viruses.
Although the infection can stay in the body forever, the number of outbreaks usually decreases over a period of years. You can pass genital herpes to someone else even when you experience no symptoms.
Herpes is a virus that can be passed through sexual contact. You can get genital herpes by having sex with someone who has open sores and when someone has no sores. However, herpes is most contagious when a person has open sores. People with herpes should not have sexual activity when sores or other symptoms of herpes are present. Condoms can lower the chances of getting herpes.
The symptoms of genital herpes vary from person to person. Some people have severe symptoms, such as many painful sores, while others have mild symptoms. An initial outbreak of genital herpes usually brings about symptoms within two weeks of having sexual contact with an infected person and can last from two to three weeks.
The early symptoms can include:
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an itching or burning feeling in the genital or anal area
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flu-like symptoms, including fever
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swollen glands
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pain in the legs, buttocks, or genital area
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vaginal discharge
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a feeling of pressure in the area below the stomach
Within a few days, sores (also called lesions) show up where the virus has entered the body, such as on the mouth, penis, or vagina. Sores can also show up on a woman’s cervix, which is the opening to the uterus or womb, or in the urinary passage in men. 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.
