People with oral herpes can transmit the infection to the genital area of a partner during oral-genital sex. Herpes infections can be transmitted by a person who is infected with HSV but has no noticeable symptoms. The virus is rarely spread by contact with objects such as a toilet seat or hot tub. The symptoms of genital herpes vary widely from person to person. When symptoms of a first episode of genital herpes occur, they usually appear within 2 to 10 days of exposure to the virus and last an average of 2 to 3 weeks.
Lesions can also occur on the cervix in women or in the urinary passage in men.
These small red bumps may develop into blisters or painful open sores. Over a period of days, the sores become crusted and then heal without scarring. Other symptoms that may accompany a primary episode of genital herpes can include fever, headache, muscle aches, painful or difficult urination, vaginal discharge, and swollen glands in the groin area. In genital herpes, after invading the skin or mucous membranes, the virus travels to the sensory nerves at the end of the spinal cord. Even after the skin lesions have disappeared, the virus remains inside the nerve cells in an inactive state.