Herpes Type 2 - What is HSV-2 Type 2 Herpes?

You may have heard that there is a herpes type 2 and herpes type 1 virus. They are written about as HSV-1 and HSV-2. What you may not know is what the differences are.

HSV-1 is usually referred to as a cold sore. Many people have these and just accept them as a fact of their life. They are a small nuisance to deal with, but manageable nonetheless.

HSV-2 is another story. It is spread through sexual contact and infects the genital region.

Unfortunately, it can also be spread when a mother gives birth to a baby. Herpes type 2 is usually manageable until you have an outbreak.

A herpes outbreak happens at different times and different frequency for sufferers. There are some people who never or rarely get an outbreak, and others who will get them quite regularly.

A herpes outbreak will cause painful sores to develop in the genital region. These sores can take a very long time to heal. While they are healing they may burst open. This is very unpleasant and can be very comfortable as well.

People also notice other symptoms with an outbreak. One symptom is pain during urination. Others notice a discharge in urine. Another symptom is swollen lymph nodes in the groin area.

Many say that the first herpes type 2 outbreak is the worse, which can provide a little comfort to you in the long run. If you were able to survive it the first time, you have a great chance to maintain and manage it throughout your life.

Amazingly, more women than men have the disease. Regardless of the statistic, special care needs to be taken to prevent passing herpes to others.

You know how much you are suffering with the disease, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t taken measures to prevent yourself from passing it to others.

If you have HSV-2, it may affect you psychologically as well as physically. You know that you now have a disease with no cure.

No matter what you do, you may always get outbreaks. There is always the chance that you could pass the virus to others.

That can be a very hard thing to grasp. You may constantly feel like a prisoner in your own body.

If possible, you may want to seek counseling until you understand the disease better. This will help you come to terms with the reality of having herpes.

That is not to say that you can’t lead a happy and healthy life with herpes. There are many people who just accept it, take suppressive drugs, and take extra precautions. The virus does not hold them back at all!

Herpes type 2 can be very painful and embarrassing to have. You have to take extra care not to transmit the disease to others and take suppressive drubs. There is no cure, but many people lead happy normal lives that have the virus.

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3 Comments so far

  1. [...] are multiple types of herpes infection but the HSV-2 infection occurs more prevalently in women. About 25% of women have it where men is closer to 12.5%. Many [...]

  2. Travis on July 31st, 2009

    I have herpes, I m scared as ever cause there is no cure. Will there ever be a cure for it ?
    I been diagonsed with herpes 1 and 2.
    I have no idea about any of this stuff.
    What does shedding mean ?
    how can you spread during shedding ?
    What are typical outbreaks look like for herpes 1 and 2.

    I m scared and need help

    thank you

  3. admin on August 5th, 2009

    Hello Travis,

    I did not see a reference to shedding in this article, but if you point out where you saw the term I can try to help. Don’t be scared you are not going to die from this disease. It’s just an inconvenience, one that you have to be careful not to spread to other people. In fact I think being scared is a good thing. It means you respect the disease, and you should because you now have a greater responsibility than you have had in the past. Your life is not over by anymeans, you just have to be more aware when you are close with other people.

    We have many pictures that you can view on our photos page here:
    Herpes Photos

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