Our genital herpes service provides you with a convenient and affordable way to treat and manage your genital herpes, and empowers you to do so appropriately and safely.
You can get the care and advice you need online without having to go to a traditional doctor’s office. Our goal is to effectively treat your genital herpes, reduce future outbreaks, and protect your sexual partners.
Genital herpes is caused by a type of ‘herpes simplex virus’ (HSV) that infects the genitals and then hides out in the nerves of the low back. Most people don't know they’ve been infected by the virus and you can have the virus for years before you have your first outbreak. Genital herpes can spread to sexual partners even if you have no symptoms.
Your first outbreak can be quite painful starting with small painless blisters in the genital area such as on the penis, around or in the vagina, or rectum. The blisters then pop open and become painful.
Once the virus is in the nerve, it can come back as an outbreak of small blisters or sores on or around the genitals any time. You may notice a tingling, itching, or burning sensation around your buttocks, legs or hips before a genital herpes outbreak. Within a few hours to a few days, painful blisters will appear. The blisters usually heal within 1 week.
There are two types of genital herpes treatment offered by Lemonaid Health with oral antiviral medications. Treatment for an immediate outbreak with acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir aims to make your symptoms go away faster. Daily preventive treatment with acyclovir or valacyclovir can reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of outbreaks, as well as decrease the risk of spreading genital herpes to your partner
You can use the service if you are between the ages of 18 and 74 years old.
If it’s not in your best interest to use Lemonaid Health based on what you tell us about your health history or symptoms, we’ll advise you to see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.
Our doctors and nurse practitioners can treat genital herpes based on your history and symptoms. We do not need to see a photo of your genital herpes. Our medical team follows strict guidelines to make sure we only treat you when it's safe and appropriate to do so. It’s important that you answer our questions fully and truthfully, and read any information we provide.
If, for any reason, our doctor or nurse practitioner thinks it’s not safe to treat you, we’ll ask you to see a provider in person.
Our providers will then follow strict guidelines to decide if treatment with medication is safe and appropriate for you.
If we prescribe genital herpes treatment, we can ship your medication directly to you from our own Lemonaid Pharmacy. Shipping is discreet, fast and free. Alternatively, our medical team can send the prescription electronically to your local pharmacy.
There are risks and benefits to taking any medication. It’s important to answer our health questionnaire fully and truthfully so that our medical team can help you make an informed decision about whether the benefits of a medication outweigh the potential risks.
The medications we prescribe are effective when used correctly. Please read the information we provide in your treatment plan to learn more about the risks and benefits of treatment.
If your symptoms are not controlled by our treatments, it may be necessary for you to seek in person care.
With treatment, a genital herpes outbreak should go away within 5-10 days. If you experience outbreaks multiple times per year, you may be a candidate for a daily preventive medication that can help you have fewer and less severe genital herpes outbreaks.
The genital herpes outbreaks can be triggered by exposure to sunlight, menstrual periods, stress, other illness, or injury to the skin where the genital herpes appears. Avoiding these triggers, when possible, can help reduce the number of outbreaks you experience.
Once you have the virus that causes genital herpes, it never goes away but most people experience fewer outbreaks as they get older.
Even if you don't have symptoms, you can still spread genital herpes to your partner.
Inform your current and future partners about having genital herpes before having sex.
Consider taking daily antiviral preventive medication to decrease the likelihood of giving genital herpes to your partner. Daily medication can decrease the risk of giving it to your partner by 90 percent. Genital herpes can spread even if you have no symptoms or if the rash or blisters are fully healed.
Use condoms or dental dams which can help decrease the chance of spreading genital herpes. Genital herpes can, however, still be spread by contact with skin that is not protected by the condoms or dental dams.
Abstain from sex if you have a genital herpes outbreak or if you feel the symptoms of genital herpes coming on such as a tingling, itching, or burning sensation around your buttocks, legs, or hips which may occur a few hours or days before the painful blisters appear.
Wait to have sex until you are done taking the medication and the rash and blisters have fully healed.