Herpes Genitalis Incubation Period
If you suspect that you’re infected with genital herpes, immediately get yourself tested at your nearest hospital and take the appropriate steps. Your medical provider can help you determine what steps you need to take to protect yourself and others, and this brings us to our original question; how long is the incubation period of genital herpes?
Primary genital herpes has an incubation period of 3 to 7 days. It can however be as soon as 2 days and as late as two weeks and even longer. The symptoms of the infection may be severe or may even be asymptomatic altogether, especially if the lesion which caused the initial infection is located on the cervix of the woman carrying the virus.
Afterwards, the affected area will become reddish and the vesicles will appear in clusters, making them look more prominent. These vesicles are filled with fluid which break easily, and when that happens the liquid will be released onto the skin and the vesicles will subsequently turn into yellowish crusts. The surrounding lymph nodes may be affected as well, they may swell and is painful to the touch. So you need to exercise care when an outbreak occurs.
Although viral outbreaks tend to heal on their own typically within 7 to 14 days, these lesions cause physical and emotional pain which debilitates the patient to some degree. After the lesions have dried up, a yellowish thin crust will then appear in their stead.
After the initial infection, HSV displays its uncanny ability to migrate as far as the edge of the sensory nerves and into the ganglion spine and would remain dormant until reactivation. The reactivation of this dormant virus can be triggered by a decline in the immune system, stress, depression, food allergies, fever, trauma to the genital mucous, menstruation, sleep deficiency and ultraviolet exposure.
Within the incubation period, the virus will reactivate and attack the body. Typically in a cold weather and when the immune system is at its lowest level. Outbreaks will then occur and you need to be prepared.
The outbreaks are frequently accompanied by an inflammation on the urethra. Genital warts may also develop on warm and moist areas of the body. In men, the most susceptible areas are the tip of the penis, the shaft of the penis and – if uncircumcised – the penis foreskin.
Is genital herpes contagious during incubation period? Yes, very much so. Genital herpes is highly contagious even during its incubation period. Because of its contagiousness, a patient can easily transmit this disease to an unsuspecting person without them even realizing it.
Genital herpes incubates in the cranial nerves, and at this stage, there will be no symptoms whatsoever, but that doesn’t stop transmission from occurring. After the incubation period is over, patient will begin to experience pain, inflammation, skin erosion, rashes and other symptoms. Lesions, watery or otherwise, cause itchiness and pain.
On pregnant women, immune deficiency patients (people living with AIDS or people on medication which suppresses the immune system) and people with inflamed skin, the growth of the warts, you can’t even begin to try and predict it.
Symptoms may appear in 3 weeks’ time, but the symptoms are so mild and can easily be overlooked. Men who experience symptoms upon infection will discharge a milk like liquid from their penis accompanied by pain while urinating. While women infected with chlamydia may also suffer from discomfort when urinating, signifying the onset of this STD.
To know for certain of the existence of a sexual transmitted disease, it is advised to perform a blood test to get some peace of mind.