Also called: Herpes genitalis
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Genital Herpes
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a herpes simplex virus (HSV). It can cause sores on your genital or rectal area, buttocks, and thighs. You can get it from having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has it. The virus can spread even when sores are not present. Mothers can also infect their babies during childbirth.
Symptoms of herpes are called outbreaks. You usually get sores near the area where the virus has entered the body. The sores are blisters which break and become painful, and then heal. Sometimes people do not know they have herpes because they have no symptoms or very mild symptoms. The virus can be more serious in newborn babies or in people with weak immune systems.
Repeat outbreaks are common, especially during the first year. Over time, you get them less often and the symptoms become milder. The virus stays in your body for life.
There are tests that can diagnose genital herpes. There is no cure. However, medicines can help lessen symptoms, decrease outbreaks, and lower the risk of passing the virus to others. Correct usage of latex condoms can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading herpes. If you or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms. The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have anal, vaginal, or oral sex.
It sits within Infections, Sexual Health Issues, Female Reproductive System and Male Reproductive System.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Genital Herpes
139 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Virotherapy and Natural History Study of KHSV-Associated Multricentric Castleman s Disease With Correlates of Disease ActivityNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Molecular Characterization of Viral-associated Tumors, Tumors Occurring in the Setting of HIV or Other Immune Disorders and Castleman DiseaseNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- A Phase I Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of an mRNA Vaccine Against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) Post-VaccinationChangchun BCHT Biotechnology Co.
- A Clinical Trial in Healthy Volunteers and Volunteers With Recurrent Genital Herpes to Study the Safety, Tolerability, and Immune Responses After Vaccination With an Investigational Vaccine Designed to Prevent Genital Herpes LesionsBioNTech SE
Research already completed
- Study of the Safety of a Particular Herpes Vaccine in Adults With or Without Herpes InfectionNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- A Study of mRNA-1608, a Herpes Simplex Virus -2 (HSV-2) Therapeutic Candidate Vaccine, in Healthy Adults 18 to 55 Years of Age With Recurrent HSV-2 Genital HerpesModernaTX, Inc.
- A Study to Assess the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Antiviral Activity of ABI-5366 in Healthy Participants and Participants Seropositive for HSV-2 With Recurrent Genital HerpesAssembly Biosciences
- A Study to Assess the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Tolerability of ABI-1179 in Healthy Subjects and in Subjects Seropositive for HSV-2 With Recurrent Genital HerpesAssembly Biosciences
- A Study on the Reactogenicity, Safety, Immune Response, and Efficacy of a Targeted Immunotherapy Against HSV in Healthy Participants Aged 18-40 Years or in Participants Aged 18-60 Years With Recurrent Genital HerpesGlaxoSmithKline
- A Study on the Reactogenicity, Safety and Immune Response of a Targeted Immunotherapy Against HSV in Healthy Japanese Participants Aged 18-40 YearsGlaxoSmithKline
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- About Genital HerpesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Genital HerpesMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Genital HerpesAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Diagnosis and Tests
- Herpes (HSV) TestNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Herpes GenitalisNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Herpes Genitalis. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Genital Herpes, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.