Genital herpes is a lifelong health problem. It does not have a cure. There are medicines that you can take. They treat the symptoms and make you have fewer, shorter outbreaks. Early treatment of the first infection and future outbreaks helps lower the chance of spreading it to others.

Treatment involves:

REFERENCES:

2015 Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/default.htm. Updated January 25, 2017. Accessed August 10, 2018.

Genital herpes. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T114875/Genital-herpes. Updated February 19, 2018. Accessed August 10, 2018.

Genital herpes. Merck Manual Professional Version website. Available at: http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/herpesviruses/genital-herpes. Updated February 2018. Accessed August 10, 2018.

Genital herpes—CDC fact sheet (detailed). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/stdfact-herpes-detailed.htm. Updated February 9, 2017. Accessed August 10, 2018.

Groves MJ. Genital herpes: a review. Am Fam Physician. 2016;93(11):928-934.

Last reviewed May 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Beverly Siegal, MD, FACOG