The outbreak symptoms of  female herpes are not significantly different from the symptoms of male herpes, but women with genital herpes should have a firm grasp of the early symptoms in order to start immediate treatment and to avoid all sexual activity.  Taking these two steps will seriously reduce the risk of spreading the virus and reduce herpes transmission rates.

Any genital herpes outbreak can appear on the body above the knees and below the waist. Some women report outbreaks on the buttocks or thighs, however it is most common for HSV2 to make it’s appearance in the mucous membranes of the genitalia. This can include the rectum, vaginal area and/or labia as well as any surrounding skin. It is important to note that these are general and most commonly found outbreak sites for female genital herpes.

The first symptoms of herpes could be tingling or itching at the expected outbreak site. As any outbreak moves through the cycle of symptoms, there may be a significant level of redness, swelling or pain as the outbreak starts to appear. The sore or rash can pull at the skin which can cause quite a bit of discomfort. At this point in the herpes outbreak, you can use a small amount of tea tree oil mixed with olive or vegetable oil to lessen any painful symptoms.

Any blisters can be filled with fluid and as the outbreak ruptures, you will have considerable reduction in pain and swelling. At this point the outbreak begins to heal and you can use vitamin E to dramatically reduce healing time and bring your skin and/or membranes back to perfectly normal healthy tissue.

The symptoms of female genital herpes do not have to be misunderstood. To have knowledge is powerful and if you can understand and recognize your herpes symptoms, you will feel much more empowered and in control of your HSV2.

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Prior to 1981 there was no medically approved treatment for genital herpes.   The feelings of hopelessness and loss of control must have been rampant as new patients diagnosed with genital herpes were told that there was nothing they could do to prevent a herpes outbreak and that abstinence during  genital herpes outbreaks was the only way to prevent transmission.

Thankfully, in 1982 acyclovir (which is still heavily prescribed today) became available by prescription.  Subsequently both famciclovir and valacyclovir were also developed.    The three medications are also known by their brand names, Zovirax, Famvir, and Valtrex respectively.

What a lot of people I talk to don’t understand is how the anti-viral medications work.   All three of the medications operate in much the same manner.

To survive and reproduce, viruses need certain nutrients and these prescription medications present themselves to the HSV2 virus as these exact nutrients but in reality they are fake.   When the virus uses the medicine (disguised as a required nutrient) to reproduce, it cannot and the duplication of the virus is drastically reduced.   I am a firm believer that if you can visualize this process actually happening in your body, the effectiveness of the medication could potentially be greater.   If you cannot afford the medication (or are not comfortable taking a pharmaceutical), and knowing what you do now about viral replication requiring certain nutrients, you can spend a few minutes a day visualizing the genital herpes virus in your body NOT receiving the nutrients it requires and dying a slow and painful death…   (ok, that last part is optional!)   You  visualize any genital herpes outbreak healing and getting smaller with colors such as green and blue.  Visualization is an extremely powerful and underrated and under utilized  method of herpes treatment.

A few more genital herpes treatment facts:

Acyclovir was proven to have poor absorption by the body (only 15% was available for use to disguise itself as essential nutrients to the herpes virus), and thus valacyclovir was brought to market which has a much more effective rate of absorption.   Because of this, Valtrex does not need to be taken nearly as often as Zovirax.   Famvir works in a similar method with a slightly different chemical structure.

The anti-viral medications discussed above can be costly (it might be worth your while to search around for a reputable online pharmacy in Canada, the UK, or Australia), and can also be very hard on your liver. Very high or long term dosage should be seriously discouraged without adequate blood work to test the level of your liver enzymes.

There are many other natural herpes remedies that can be equally effective.

You can always find more information at The Herpes Blog.

Take care.

First Signs of Herpes Outbreak:

Other than keeping your immune system strong and the virus dormant through effective treatment of herpes, it is the first signs of herpes that gives you the best chance of stopping a herpes outbreak.    The first signs of a herpes outbreak can appear 24 – 48 hours before an outbreak is expected.   Symptoms can include soreness or a bruised feeling in and around the hip and flank area, often moving down one or both legs.   It is also quite common to experience flu like symptoms which can include an all-over-body ache, fatigue and muscle pain.   During this first stage of herpes, as a natural treatment you can start to take high doses of Vitamin C (3000 mg) and (very important!) 30mg – 60mg of Zinc.

I always suggest that each and every day you take a immune tonic which can increase your immune function and keep any herpes outbreak dormant.

Excellent immune tonics to consider would be:

Reishi: Reishi is highly valued in Asia for increasing resistance and extending life, and has also been extensively studied for its immune function boosting properties.  Thankfully Reishi is now widely available in North American in supplement form.

Ashwagandha: A traditional herb from India where it is highly valued as a general tonic.

Rhodiola: Rhodiola is an amazing supplement which can aid with many stress related symptoms including fatigue, cancer, antioxidant, and immune-enhancing effects. It is useful for acute stress, mild depression and memory problems.

Siberian Ginseng: This herb is extremely helpful with exhaustion, a lack of energy, and general fatigue from overwork.

If you are taking a daily supplement of any of the above (and just try one for a few months and see how it works for you.  Please don’t go out and buy all of them and take them all together!), and you begin to feel a herpes outbreak, you can increase the dosage in the 24-48 hour window along with any increase or addition of Vitamin C and Zinc.

Should you have opted to treat your herpes outbreak with a pharmaceutical anti-viral (Acyclovir, Famvir, or Valtrex) it is in this 24 – 48 period that you would want to commence the recommended dosage and/or increase the dosage that you are taking for suppression.   For more information on the anti-viral medications in conjunction with the stages of herpes, visit:  Treatment for Herpes.

Regardless of whether you are opting for medical or natural treatment of your herpes outbreak, it is crucial that you take care of yourself and get as much sleep and rest as you can.  Following the a above recommendations can greatly increase your chances of completely stopping your herpes outbreak or decreasing the duration and severity of the outbreak.

Good luck and take care.

The first herpes outbreak can be tremendously painful and severe.  It is important to note that the initial outbreak is also sadly associated with your diagnosis of herpes and can be a stressful and emotional time.  For both of these reasons it is important to be kind to yourself and provide yourself with the most self care you possible can during this difficult time.   Rest, eat well, get lots of sleep, and really, really be nice to yourself.  Also, it is a good time to build your education about the virus.   Even if you never have another herpes outbreak (and this is possible!), you will need to accept that you are infected with HSV and take precautions both for yourself, and your sexual partners.   But don’t worry:  Herpes is not the end of your life.  With a little attention, you can decrease outbreaks, maintain a healthy sex life and there is absolutely nothing about herpes that will stop you from being successful and happy.

For your first herpes outbreak, you can talk to your Doctor about prescription viral suppression therapy (Valtrex), or you can use natural treatments to help reduce the severity of the outbreak.    Start by taking 2000mg per day of Vitamin C and 30mg per day of zinc.  This will help boost your immune system.   You can also consider an immune system tonic like reishi mushroom or oil of oregano to help heal the outbreak.   Taking these supplements every day will also help to reduce both the frequency and severity of future outbreaks.  Externally, you can keep the outbreak area clean and dry.   If you have genital herpes, wear cotton underwear.   You can use baking soda compresses and tea tree oil mixed with olive oil to help reduce pain and swelling.   As the first herpes outbreak crusts and starts to heal, you can use Vitamin E on the blister to speed up the healing process.

A significant percentage of people with herpes will experience subsequent outbreaks after their first herpes outbreak.  These outbreaks will vary greatly from person to person in both frequency and severity.   It is quite possible to go months without a single outbreak and then experience several consecutive outbreaks over the next few weeks or months.   There is a lot of debate about why this is, but for the purposes of this article we will limit the discussion to stress and lifestyle factors (which I believe are the single most significant factors in my personal herpes outbreaks).

There are a number of ways to control stress.  The first and most obvious is (if possible) to reduce the stressful factor from your life.  Since this is most often impossible stress reduction techniques can be employed.   Your first line of defense would be to try and get more sleep.   Adequate sleep does amazing things for both your immune system and your stress levels (which are closely tied through hormones).   Research has shown that hours of sleep before midnight are much more beneficial that hours of sleep after midnight.   As such, if you are unable to actual increase your hours of sleep, you could try to get to bed an hour early and set your alarm for one hour earlier to get your hour back.   This single free act alone could be enough to stop a herpes outbreak.

If you are unable to make any changes to your sleep schedule, or feel you are already getting enough sleep, you can add relaxation techniques to your day.  They don’t have to be spiritual or religious and don’t have to take a lot of time.  Even 10 – 20 minutes a day of mediation or guided visualization will do wonders for both your immune system and stress levels.

As you are working to reduce stress and increase sleep, it is important to make sure you are eating the right foods.  You don’t have to change overnight, but so many people eat junk food, fast food, too much food, and then wonder why they can’t get their herpes outbreaks under control.   There are so many resources available for healthy eating; try starting with just one a day and attempt to change your bad habits for good over time.   Most important is to be kind to yourself through this entire process.   Don’t beat yourself up for not starting earlier or for having not so great eating habits.  And if you fall back into bad habits, dust yourself off and start again.   Negative thoughts and feelings can exhaust your immune system, making you more susceptible to a future herpes outbreak.

Last but not least it is important to get enough exercise.  Again, you don’t have to join a gym and start lifting weights five times a week.  Start with a 30 minute walk every other day.   Maybe you can do this in the morning since you are now up an hour earlier each day!   Getting your heart rate up (even through brisk walking) creates endorphins in your body which reduce stress and boost your immune system.  All true!   And you will sleep better as well.

Good luck!