The virus will remain there in an inactive or latent phase, although it may reoccur from time to time and travel back down the nerve to the skin. If you think you have genital herpes, go to a clinic or a Doctor to have it diagnosed. If you feel you are having your first or primary episode, this should be diagnosed through a blood test in combination with a viral culture. In some situations, genital herpes may be a simple diagnosis for the general practitioner. In others it may even elude the specialist.
Recurrences make herpes even more likely.
Then, the virus itself is detected by a culture test from one of the sores, confirming the diagnosis. In order to make sure that no other diseases accompany the herpes, tests for syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, trichomonas and yeast are also performed. Certain people with genital herpes can have mild intermittent symptoms. The only sore might be a pinpoint or single ulcer on the labia that lasts for a few days and reoccurs every six months. It may not hurt at all.