First appointment

Making your first appointment may be a stressful experience, purely because you don't know what you are dealing with. You may also feel nervous or embarrassed about having the discussion with your doctor. Just remember that genital herpes is very common and doctors are experienced in diagnosing and treating herpes and other STI Glossary: STI
A sexually transmitted infection. s.

Because genital herpes symptoms can vary so much - and are similar to the symptoms of other STI s and non-sexually transmitted conditions such as thrush Glossary: Thrush
A common infection that is caused by an overgrowth of yeast in the vagina. Symptoms include vaginal discomfort – including itching or burning, a thick white discharge with a ‘cottage cheese’ appearance, redness or swelling of the vagina or vulva and stinging or burning while urinating and during sex. - your doctor will need to do a blood test or swab test to confirm whether or not you have the virus.

While a blood test can confirm that you have HSV-1 Glossary: HSV-1
Herpes simplex virus type 1. The virus that usually causes cold sores. or HSV-2 Glossary: HSV-2
Herpes simplex virus type 2. The virus that usually causes genital herpes. it cannot confirm which part of the body you have the virus in. For example your genital region or facial region. A swab is the only way to confirm where the virus is.

A swab is best taken within three days of an outbreak of genital symptoms. While it is possible to take a swab at other times, you need to be shedding the virus (known as viral shedding Glossary: Viral shedding
The shedding of the herpes virus from the skin surface – even if there are no symptoms present. ) in order to get an accurate diagnosis.