It also details how herpes can spread through oral sex and offers tips to prevent herpes transmission.
According to the CDC:
What Are Cold Sores?
These sensations are known asprodromalsymptoms.
ancoay / Getty Images
Cold sores break open easily.
When they do, the clear fluid inside oozes out and the blister forms a crust.
Most blisters go away after a week or two.
What Is Genital Herpes?
Genital herpes (herpes genitalis) lesions are clusters of blisters that may be preceded by pain or tingling.
Can HSV-1 Spread Genitally?
Cold sores and genital herpes are both sparked by a herpes simplex virus.
However, sometimes genital herpes infections can be sparked by HSV-1.
This is known as asymptomatic shedding.
Can You Give Herpes to Yourself?
Even so, this is considered uncommon.
The infection usually heals without damaging the eye, but severe infections can lead to scarring and vision loss.
How Is Genital Herpes Treated?
Possible Complications
For most people, genital herpes is a self-limiting infection that poses no long-term harm.
How Is Genital Herpes Diagnosed?
In most cases, genital herpes can be diagnosed based on the appearance of the characteristic lesions.
Where the tests may be useful is when there is a recurrence of genital herpes.
The blood test may also be useful in detecting if the person’s partner has herpes.
Neither will aninternal condomplaced into an anus or vagina.
But they will provide some protection when used correctly.
Summary
Cold sores and genital herpes are both triggered by herpes viruses.
Cold sores most often are associated with HSV-1 while genital herpes is associated with HSV-2.
However, HSV-1 can be transmitted from one person’s mouth to another person’s genitals during oral sex.
Prevention steps include abstaining from oral sex, using condoms, and taking medication to suppress the herpes virus.
Cleveland Clinic.Herpes simplex virus (HSV).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Genital herpes.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021: genital herpes.
2011;102(3):225-229. doi:10.1007/bf03404902
Planned Parenthood.Oral & genital herpes.
Tronstein E.Genital shedding of herpes simplex virus among symptomatic and asymptomatic persons with HSV-2 infection.JAMA.
2011;305(14):1441. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.420
MedlinePlus.Herpes - oral.
doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01107
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Is it really ‘FDA approved’?
Influence of site of infection and viral key in.N Engl J Med.
1987;316(23):1444-1449. doi:10.1056/NEJM198706043162304.
2009;85(6):416-419. doi:10.1136/sti.2008.033902
