Should I use this page, or skip it?
Use this page if you have genital sores or a previous herpes diagnosis and want NHS-shaped advice on clinics, outbreaks and sex. Skip it and get urgent help if you cannot pass urine, have a high temperature with widespread sores, or are pregnant with a first outbreak near delivery. This page cannot swab you or prescribe antivirals.
Painful peeing with sores is not a simple UTI. Use the sexual health hub to find a clinic while lesions are still fresh enough to swab. A photo on your phone is not a diagnosis.
What is genital herpes and what does it feel like?
Genital herpes is a lifelong viral infection caused by herpes simplex virus. It can cause tingling, then painful blisters that break into ulcers on the genitals, anus, buttocks or thighs. The first episode is often the worst and can come with flu-like illness, swollen glands and several days of real misery.
Later outbreaks are usually shorter and milder. Many people never notice symptoms but can still pass the virus on. It is not caught from toilet seats, towels or swimming pools. Stigma is often worse than the medical outlook once you have a clinic plan.
How is it diagnosed?
The useful test is a swab from a fresh blister or ulcer, ideally within the first couple of days of an outbreak. Sexual health clinics do this routinely and can start treatment. A blood test is not the first step for a typical outbreak and does not always tell you where the virus lives on the body.
If sores have already crusted, the swab may be less helpful, but you should still attend. A clinician can often recognise the pattern and discuss antivirals. Thrush itches without ulcers; syphilis ulcers are often painless. Do not self-diagnose from internet photos.
What treatment can the NHS offer?
Antiviral tablets such as aciclovir can shorten an outbreak if started promptly, as prescribed. They do not clear the virus from the body. People with frequent recurrences may be offered a daily suppressive course after a clinic or GP review. This page does not give tablet strengths — follow the prescription you are given.
Self-care helps while sores heal: salt-water baths, loose cotton underwear, paracetamol or ibuprofen from a pharmacy if you can take them, and peeing in a bath or shower if urine stings. Avoid sex until everything has healed, including oral sex.
Can I still have a sex life?
Yes, with planning and honest conversation. Avoid contact with sores from the first tingle until skin has fully healed. Condoms reduce transmission between outbreaks but do not eliminate it, because virus can shed from uncovered skin. Daily suppression, when prescribed, is one option for couples who want extra risk reduction.
Disclosure is difficult and still the kind thing. Clinic staff are used to that conversation and can help you find words. Herpes does not mean you cannot have children; it does mean you tell your midwife so a pregnancy plan can be made.
When is it 111 or 999?
Use a clinic, GP or 111 the same day if pain stops you peeing, sores are spreading with fever, or you are pregnant with a first outbreak. Call 111 in England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland uses GP out-of-hours via nidirect.
Call 999 or go to A&E if you cannot pass urine at all, are becoming confused, or feel very unwell with a high temperature. Those are not “wait for the clinic on Monday” problems. A first outbreak in late pregnancy needs specialist care the same day, not a leftover cold-sore cream.
Do NHS doors differ across the UK?
Call 111 in England, Scotland and Wales if you need urgent advice and are not in immediate danger; Northern Ireland uses GP out-of-hours via nidirect rather than a general 111 service. Pharmacy schemes and what is free also vary by nation and local area, so ask rather than assuming last year’s rule still applies.
999 is the same emergency number everywhere. A sexual health clinic, GP or pharmacist in any UK nation can still start the right pathway even if the branding of the minor-illness scheme is different. Take a list of medicines and allergies with you.
Who should skip this page?
Skip this page if you already cannot pee or are systemically unwell — that is urgent care. It is not a cold-sore-only page, not an HIV test, and not a fertility clinic. If you also need STI screening after a new partner, book that separately through the sexual health hub.
Common questions about genital herpes
- How do you catch genital herpes?
- Skin-to-skin contact with an infected area during vaginal, anal or oral sex. The cold-sore virus can infect the genitals through oral sex. You can catch it from someone with no visible sores. It is not caught from towels, toilet seats or swimming pools. A clinic can talk through disclosure and reducing risk.
- Is genital herpes curable?
- No. The virus stays in nerve cells after the first infection. Antiviral medicines do not remove it, but they can shorten outbreaks and, for some people, reduce how often they come back. Many people have few recurrences after the first years. A sexual health clinic can explain options without guessing tablet strengths from the internet.
- How often do herpes outbreaks occur?
- It varies widely. Some people have one outbreak and then rarely another. Others have several in the first year, then fewer. Stress, illness, friction and periods can trigger a recurrence. Keep a note of warning tingles so you can start prescribed antivirals promptly if you have been given a supply to keep at home.
- Can I have sex if I have genital herpes?
- Avoid sex, including oral sex, during an outbreak until sores have fully healed. Condoms reduce risk between outbreaks but do not remove it, because the virus can shed from skin a condom does not cover. Honest conversation with partners is part of looking after each other. A clinic can help with that conversation.
- What is the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2?
- Both are herpes simplex viruses. HSV-1 often causes cold sores on the mouth but can also cause genital infection. HSV-2 more often affects the genitals. A swab during an outbreak can type the virus. Treatment of an outbreak is similar either way. Blood tests are used only in selected situations, not as a first step.
- Does genital herpes affect fertility or pregnancy?
- It does not usually affect fertility. Neonatal herpes is rare but serious, so tell your midwife if you or a partner have genital herpes. A first outbreak in late pregnancy needs specialist care. Recurrent herpes is usually managed with a pregnancy plan rather than panic. Do not start leftover antivirals without advice.
- What medicines treat genital herpes?
- Clinics and GPs prescribe antiviral tablets such as aciclovir for an outbreak, started as soon as sores or warning symptoms begin. Some people with frequent recurrences are offered a daily suppressive course. Follow the prescription, not a strength from a search result. Pain relief from a pharmacy can help while sores heal.