There are numerous strains of herpes. In fact, many people have the most common form of herpes – it’s called oral herpes, and it is caused by the herpes simplex virus. It’s what gives you cold sores, and might also cause muscle aches and fever.
The one that most people are worried about, though, is genital herpes. This is a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by the herpes simplex type 1 or type 2, also known as HSV-1 or HSV-2. How long can you have herpes before an outbreak? That’s the question many people have asked about contracting herpes. Unfortunately, the symptoms can be so mild that you might not notice you have it at first, and so you could have genital herpes for a very long time and not know it.
Understanding the herpes incubation period, however, will help you keep others from being at risk. Here’s what you need to know about the herpes genitalis incubation period.
What’s the Herpes Incubation Period?
As mentioned earlier, many people who contract HSV-1 or HSV-2 are completely asymptomatic. They might have no symptoms at all. If they do, the symptoms are often very mild at first and might be ignored, or even mistaken for some type of skin condition or irritation. This means that a whopping 87.4 percent are unaware they are infected!
The herpes incubation period is typically 4-6 days, but can range from two days to twelve days. If you are going to show any symptoms, it is likely that you will see small vesicles around the genitals, mouth or rectum. These signs might last for up to three weeks. But again, keep in mind that the incubation period can come and go without a single sign of what is happening, so safe sex is always very important.
What Are the Symptoms of Herpes?
Oral Herpes
Oral herpes can be very annoying and painful. Symptoms often include pain, burning, itching or a strange tingling around your lips, and then a few days later, blisters appear. There could also be oral sores in your mouth, including your gums, lips, tongue, cheeks, roof of the mouth and throat. You might also see sores on your chin or neck.
Other symptoms might include gums that are red and swollen, possible bleeding from the gums, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and a very painful throat. You might also be tired, have a fever, suffer from muscle aches and be generally irritable.
Genital Herpes
Genital herpes can be very worrying, and the symptoms can be troublesome. Remember that you might not have any at all, especially during the herpes incubation period. But when you do start to see symptoms, you might experience blisters on your genitals, rectum or mouth – these might also be small red bumps. You will probably experience itching and irritation in the area a few days before the bumps appear. You might also have ulcers in the area, or scabs when it starts to heal over.
In addition to these symptoms, you might also feel general malaise, flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes in the groin, fever and muscle aches, and headache. The blisters and ulcers might make your body very sensitive and painful in those areas.
What to Do If I Have Herpes?
Herpes demands immediate treatment to prevent it from getting worse. The healthier you are, the less likely you are to have outbreaks. Make a point of getting plenty of sleep, eating well, and cutting out stress whenever possible. Your doctor might provide medications that are meant to help make you more comfortable or help lessen the outbreak frequency.
Oral Herpes
Treatment of oral herpes is usually rather straightforward, and can consist of simple over the counter products. Some antiviral drugs, including Valtrex, Denavir, Famvir, Zovirax and Xerese might be prescribed to help you combat the outbreak and heal it faster. If the infection is very severe, your doctor might prescribe IV medications to combat the problem, but this is rather rare.
Genital Herpes
Some antiviral medications, including Valtrex, Famvir and Zovirax, might help relieve the symptoms of genital herpes or lessen the chance of transmitting genital herpes to someone else. Some people will need to take medication at the first sign of an outbreak, while others might need to take medication all the time. Keep in mind, however, that you can still pass along the virus to someone else, no matter what medications are you are. That is why it is so important to tell the person you plan to be intimate with that you do have herpes, and advise them about the risks, including the herpes incubation period.
Besides herpes incubation period, it’s important to learn other FAQs regarding genital herpes, like can you have sex with herpes? Check out this link: http://www.medguidance.com/thread/Genital-Herpes-FAQ.html