After about 10 days the symptoms disappear and the patient appears to be cured. But the infection is only lying dormant and may recur at any time, particularly when the patient is under stress. There is as yet no treatment for this disease. While the disease is dormant, it is safe to have sex without infecting one's partner, but it is impossible to predict the next attack, so the risk of infection remains. If the infection is active at the end of a pregnancy, a Caesarean section may be performed to prevent the baby becoming infected in the birth canal.
Genital warts are unpleasant but painless and can be treated quite easily.
They are small lumps that appear on the penis, vulva, or anus and are mildly contagious. The treatment involves either painting the warts with a preparation called poclophyllin, or freezing them off with liquid nitrogen. An association has been identified between genital warts and cervical cancer, so it is important to get rid of them as soon as possible, and to have regular cervical smears. Thrush is a fungal infection that develops in certain conditions in the vagina. It is sometimes linked to taking the Pill, and if it recurs frequently, a different method of contraception may be advisable.