Learn what a typical Herpes, genital prognosis is at Consumer Reports Health.

Herpes, genital

What will happen to me?

Genital herpes is an infection that you can never get rid of. But most of the time the virus lives harmlessly inside your body. Genital herpes is not a serious illness, and for many people it's just a nuisance.

About 9 in 10 people who have had one attack of symptoms will have at least one more attack within a year. Attacks caused by the herpes simplex type 2 virus are more likely to come back than attacks caused by the type 1 virus. (To read about the types of virus that cause genital herpes, see What is herpes?)

About a quarter of people with the type 2 virus will have six or more attacks in the year after they first catch the infection.

Source:
Kimberlin DW, Rouse DJ.
Genital herpes.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2004; 350: 1970-1977.

You don't always need treatment for genital herpes. If you get symptoms, they'll usually clear up on their own within a week or two.

Source:
Kimberlin DW, Rouse DJ.
Genital herpes.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2004; 350: 1970-1977.

¹ You'll also have fewer attacks over time.

If your symptoms are more severe, you'll probably need to see a doctor. There are treatments that can:

Help clear your symptoms of genital herpes
Reduce the number of attacks you have
Help stop the infection from spreading to your sexual partner.

But no treatment can clear the virus from your body completely.

If you're pregnant

If you are pregnant, there's a very small chance you could pass on genital herpes to your baby. Herpes viruses can make your baby dangerously ill. But this only happens if you catch the infection for the first time late in your pregnancy. About 4 in 10 women who catch the infection late in pregnancy pass on the infection to their baby.

Source:
Brown ZA, Selke SA, Zeh J, et al.
Acquisition of herpes simplex virus during pregnancy.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1997; 337: 509-515.

Source:
Smith J, Cowan FM, Munday P.
The management of herpes simplex virus infection in pregnancy.
British Journal of Obstetric Gynaecology. 1998; 105: 255-268.

If you're pregnant or thinking about having a baby, and you have genital herpes, you should tell your doctor.

If your partner has genital herpes and you don't, talk with your doctor or other health professional about how to protect yourself and your baby. You should avoid oral sex in late pregnancy with a partner who has had cold sores.

If you have HIV infection

Genital herpes can be more serious if you have

HIV
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It's the virus that causes AIDS. It makes you sick by damaging cells called CD4 cells. Your body needs these cells to fight infections. You can get HIV by sharing needles for injecting drugs ,or by having sex without a condom with someone who already has the virus.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection or

AIDS
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. People who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) get AIDS when the virus has destroyed most of their immune system. When people have AIDS, their body isn't able to fight infections. So even common infections, such as colds, can cause serious problems.

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), particularly if your

immune system
The immune system is made up of the parts of the body that are devoted to fighting infection. The body is constantly being threatened by infections from things like bacteria, viruses and parasites. The immune system fights these infections in different ways. At the microscopic level, the immune system uses antibodies and white blood cells, which travel in the blood and target infectious agents, such as bacteria. These microscopic parts of the immune system either kill the infectious agent directly, or take it to other parts of the body, like the spleen, where it can be dealt with. The lymph nodes are another important part of the immune system. Within them, white blood cells filter through the foreign material that has entered the blood, to see if there are any infections. When you have a swollen gland during a cold, this is actually a lymph node that is reacting to the infection. Unfortunately, it is possible for the immune system to become confused and to use its destructive powers to target healthy parts of the body. Diseases that result from this type of situation are called autoimmune diseases.

immune system is badly affected. Your symptoms may be more severe, and you may need stronger treatment than people whose immune system is normal.

If you have HIV or AIDS, genital herpes can increase your chances of infecting others with HIV during sex. Scientists have found HIV in sores and blisters caused by genital herpes.

Source:
Schacker T, Ryncarz A, Goddard J, et al.
Frequent recovery of HIV-1 from genital herpes simplex virus lesions in HIV infected men.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 280: 61-66.

⁴

What will happen to my partner?

When the virus you are carrying becomes active, you can pass it on during sex. You are most infectious during an attack of genital herpes. This is when you have symptoms around your genitals, such as painful blisters, broken skin or chafing.

Most experts say you shouldn't have sex during an attack or if you feel an attack coming on.

Source:
Kimberlin DW, Rouse DJ.
Genital herpes.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2004; 350: 1970-1977.

But you can also pass on the virus when you don't have symptoms. We don't know for certain how often this happens, We also don't know for certain how easy it is to pass on the virus. But we do know there are good treatments that help reduce the risk.

No treatment or precaution can protect your partner completely. The risk of you passing on the infection probably becomes less with time, whatever you do.

Source:
Corey L, Wald A, Patel R, et al.
Once-daily valaciclovir to reduce the risk of transmission of genital herpes.
New England Journal Medicine. 2004; 350: 11-20.

⁵

Sources for the information on this page:

Kimberlin DW, Rouse DJ.Genital herpes.New England Journal of Medicine. 2004; 350: 1970-1977.

Brown ZA, Selke SA, Zeh J, et al.Acquisition of herpes simplex virus during pregnancy.New England Journal of Medicine. 1997; 337: 509-515.

Smith J, Cowan FM, Munday P.The management of herpes simplex virus infection in pregnancy.British Journal of Obstetric Gynaecology. 1998; 105: 255-268.

Schacker T, Ryncarz A, Goddard J, et al.Frequent recovery of HIV-1 from genital herpes simplex virus lesions in HIV infected men.Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 280: 61-66.

Corey L, Wald A, Patel R, et al.Once-daily valaciclovir to reduce the risk of transmission of genital herpes.New England Journal Medicine. 2004; 350: 11-20.

This information was last updated on Jun 08, 2008

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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