When most people think about genital herpes, they tend to imagine a terrible disease that produces persistently painful sores. But while genital herpes symptoms are no picnic, they’re also not always as awful as some might assume. In fact, when it comes to genital herpes, symptoms can be quite mild or completely non-existent, leaving many people in the dark about their infected status.
When genital herpes symptoms are mild, they may seem to be nothing more than genital irritation. And even when painless herpes sores appear in conjunction with flu-like symptoms, many people don’t tend to associate them with genital herpes symptoms. But since genital herpes is such an easily transmittable disease, the fact that its symptoms aren’t always pronounced can be a bad thing, as those who don’t have painful genital herpes symptoms may not be aware that they’re infected and inadvertently pass the disease on to their sexual partners.
Since genital herpes symptoms can be difficult to pinpoint, the only way to determine whether an infection exists is to undergo STD testing. Herpes testing today is not reliant on active symptoms; it’s possible to administer an effective herpes test even when sores aren’t present. If an STD test for herpes does come back positive, it may prompt an infected person to think twice about engaging in sexual activity when mild genital herpes symptoms resurface. And for those whose genital herpes symptoms aren’t as innocuous, a positive herpes test can be the first step toward seeking appropriate treatment and getting relief.
