three weeks. You may have: Painful sores over your genitals, bottom and thighs. These start off as blisters, but soon burst. You could try salt baths and paracetamol to soothe your discomfort (BASHH 2007) . A second or later attack (your doctor may call it an episode) will be milder. You may get a tingling feeling, a small area of irritation or no symptoms at all. It will probably be over within seven to 10 days (RCOG 2007) . This is because your body has produced antibodies in reaction to the primary infection. These antibodies are chemicals in your blood that fight an outbreak each time it happens. How is genital herpes spread? If your partner has genital herpes you need to be particularly careful. The virus can be transmitted without your partner knowing that he is having an attack. There are no foolproof ways to guard against becoming infected with herpes. In fact, the virus is most infectious when, or just before, the tell-tale symptoms appear. Condoms may help to reduce the risk of catching it (RCOG 2007:6 ) . Can genital herpes harm my baby? It's unlikely that if you have genital herpes it will harm your baby. It is mainly a worry if you become infected with the virus for the first time late on in your pregnancy. If this happens, there is a small risk that your baby could catch it too. When a baby catches genital herpes it results in an infection called neonatal herpes.