Genital Herpes

Genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The infection can be bothersome.

Most people never have symptoms, or the symptoms are so mild that people don't know that they're infected. But in some people, the infection causes occasional outbreaks of itchy and painful sores in the genital area.

After the first outbreak, the herpes virus stays in the nerve cells below the skin and becomes inactive. It usually becomes active again from time to time, traveling back up to the skin and causing more sores. Things like stress, illness, a new sex partner, or menstruation may trigger a new outbreak.

After the first outbreak, some people just have a few more outbreaks over their lifetime. Others may have 4 to 6 outbreaks a year. As time goes on, the outbreaks happen less often, heal faster, and don't hurt as much.