What is Genital Herpes?
By: Zia Sabri
Genital herpes is one of the sexually transmitted
infections, which is caused by the virus known as herpes simplex virus. Being a
viral infection, genital herpes is characterized by long periods of staying
dormant in your body, while short periods during which it is active. This
infection most commonly affects men and women who are between the ages of 20 to
24 years. This infection can cause symptoms such as red fluid-filled blisters,
painful or burning sensation while urinating, swelling in the glands or the
groin area, unusual urethral discharge and itching or tingling sensation around
the infected area.
Many people often are unable to differentiate a sexually
transmitted infection from a normal infection, which leaves the infection
untreated. If genital herpes is left untreated, it can become life-threatening
by spreading into your joints and blood. It can also increase your risk of
contracting other sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. In order to
avoid suffering from such adverse effects, you can take the help of a genital
herpes test in order to diagnose whether you have contracted the infection or
not.
You can order this test through a registered online STI
testing clinic, which provides a specimen tube for you. While taking this
genital herpes test, you need to provide the laboratory with your urine sample.
This urine sample is further used for diagnosing whether you have contracted
the infection or not. But you should take the genital herpes test after about
two weeks of having unprotected sex, as the infection takes at least two weeks
to show up as an infection on the test.
