Complete Understanding of Genital Herpes in Women

Most of us may do not know that there are some differences between genital herpes in women and men. The herpes simplex virus usually transmitted during close and personal contact by the exchanging of semen, saliva, vesicle fluid and cervical fluid from active lesions. The virus starts the infection and replication process by the contact of abraded skin and mucosal cell. 

In fact, genital herpes in women has 4 times bigger risk than men. For example, if non infected man and woman have intercourse with infected partner then woman will be likely to get higher risk of infected with the herpes simplex virus. That is why woman needs to be more aware of having sexual relationship with their partner. The higher risk of being infected mainly caused by these two following reasons:

Woman has greater surface

Woman genital herpes has wider surface with cell moist and mucosal cell than men.

Woman has hormonal changes

Woman has menstrual cycle period that makes some hormonal changes. The changes automatically bring some effect to the immune system. The fluctuation of the hormone level makes herpes simplex virus get easier to infect.

Primary outbreak in woman likely have longer and more painful severe than any recurrent outbreak on woman and man. Besides that, some complication is also possible to happen during the first outbreak. Herpes lesion usually happen everywhere includes the vagina, cervix, vulva, urethra and even to the thigh and buttock. Usually the first outbreak will last for about 3 weeks.

Another symptom is the rash in genital area, burning urination and swollen lymph nodes in the groin. Meningitis and inflammation of the fluid around the brain is also possible to happen during the primary outbreak.

Woman need to be aware since some genital herpes disease often get misdiagnosed as cervix inflammation, yeast infection and pelvic inflammatory disease. Besides that the herpes lesion in urethra is also commonly wrong diagnosed as urinary tract infection or a bladder dysfunction. The recurrent sometimes only resulting irritation without any rash seems to appear. The best way to identified is held some test.