Female and male herpes symptoms of the genital include lesions or sores that show up every 6-8 days after infection. Early symptoms of herpes in men appear as reddish, painful bumps, or papules, along the penis, thighs or other parts of the body. These reddish bumps eventually turn into clusters of small blisters that fill with fluid containing infectious viral particles. The blisters are then attacked by the body’s immune system (white blood cells), start to fill with pus, and burst which then become extremely painful, shallow sores or ulcers surrounded by a red ring.
During these outbreaks are when people are the most infectious as the sores contain millions of viral particles. Other male herpes symptoms may include headaches and muscle aches, swollen lymph glands, fever, and burning urination. On average, the sores crust over and heal in 1 to 3 weeks.
Although symptoms of herpes in men and women eventually disappear, the disease itself does not. The herpes virus remains in the body permanently burrowing into nerve cells in the base of the spine, where may lie dormant for years or for life. The infected person is least contagious during this dormant stage. In most cases, the herpes virus does become reactivated and gives rise to recurrences.
Recurrences may be due to other infections (such as a cold), stress, fatigue, depression, exposure to the sun, a poor diet, a poor immune system, and in women hormonal changes such as those that occur during pregnancy or menstruation. Recurrences tend to occur within three to twelve months from the initial episode and affect the same part of the body.
About half of people with recurrent herpes experience prodromal symptoms before a full outbreak. These early symptoms of herpes in men and women include feelings of burning, itching, pain, tingling, or tenderness in the affected area. These warning signs may be accompanied by sharp pains in the lower extremities, groin, or buttocks. People with herpes can become more infectious when prodromal symptoms appear. They are therefore advised to avoid unprotected sex until the flare-up subsides.
Male herpes symptoms on the mouth appear as cold sores and blisters on the lips, the inside of the mouth, the tongue, or the throat. The gums may become red and swollen. Fever and feelings of sickness may also occur. Cold sores heal in about two weeks, and the virus retreats into nerve cells at the base of the neck, where it lies dormant between flare-ups. As mentioned most people experience recurrences, this rate is as high as 90%. About half of these people with male herpes symptoms and outbreaks have five or more recurrences during the first two years after the initial outbreak.
