Genital herpes symptoms?

What are the symptoms of genital herpes?

Symptoms Of Genital Herpes

Genital herpes shows different symptoms in different people. Some may have severe problems while others may get the symptoms so mildly that they may miss it for something else.

Genital herpes begins its first episode within a fortnight of contact. Some people get severe symptoms of herpes in this episode while others may get very mild symptoms of herpes during the first episode. The main symptom is appearance of lesions. These may be pimples or blisters which will crust and heal within a month. Painful urination and headache may occur during the first episode. Some people also show flu-like symptoms during the first episode. Some other people may get very mild symptoms and take them as insect bites, rashes, ringworm, etc. As these symptoms resolve soon, people are left unaware of the fact that they have herpes. Then, blisters appear on the genitals and near genitals. The common areas are: on the vulva, penis, near anus, thighs, and inside vagina.

In the next episodes, the symptoms of genital herpes may appear like: ingrown hair, insect bites, pimples, spots, etc. If blisters form, they crust over in few days and resolve. Most of the following episodes resolve much quickly than the first episode. Symptoms mimicking hemorrhoids may also appear on the anus. If you get repeated fissures or any other symptoms near or on the genitals, you should get screened for genital herpes. On average, a person having genital herpes from HSV2 may have three to four episodes of recurrence every year. Many times, despite the virus being active near the genitals, one may show no symptoms. That is called asymptomatic shedding . Many people feel some pain, tingling or itching before active onset of genital herpes. Within a day or two, lesions appear on the affected area. Source(s): http://www.doctorgoodskin.com/ds/genital...

Red sores appearing on the genitals as well as itching
The primary outbreak of genital herpes tends to last longer and be more severe than subsequent (recurrent) outbreaks. Symptoms of a primary outbreak may include:

* Flulike symptoms, such as fever, headache, and muscle aches. These symptoms usually get better within a week.
* Tingling, burning, itching, and redness at the site where an outbreak is about to occur (prodrome).
* Painful, itchy blisters on the penis, on the vulva, or inside the vagina. Blisters may also appear on the anus, buttocks, thighs, or scrotum, either alone or in clusters. They may be barely noticeable or as large as a coin.
* Blisters that break and become shallow, painful, oozing sores.
* Swollen and tender lymph nodes in the groin.
* Painful urination.
* Abnormal vaginal or urethral discharge.

Occasionally a person will experience symptoms months or even years after being infected, making it very difficult to identify the sex partner who was the source of the infection.
http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/...
Personal experience. I have had genital herpes for over 5 years.