Triggering Genital Herpes

When you have contracted genital herpes, you may experience a number of outbreaks throughout your lifetime. Some people may experience them every month whereas others may not have another outbreak. But why is this?

Well, it has been discovered that there are certain triggers that can cause an outbreak to occur. If you have an outbreak after one of these triggers then they might be linked so it is best to try and avoid the trigger as much as you can in order to prevent another outbreak.


Ultimately, if your immune system is lower than usual for a variety of reasons, you are more likely to experience an outbreak. Your immune system may be affected because you are immuno-compromised which happens if you have HIV or AIDS as the infection destroys your immune system. It can also happen if you have had certain medications like chemotherapy, as your immune system is low. Generally being ill can lower your immune system and make you more vulnerable to infection. Physical or emotional stress can also have an impact on your immune system, making it easier for the herpes simplex virus to cause another outbreak. Fatigue can also cause an outbreak.

Another trigger is genital irritation. If you have aggravation in that area or another infection, an outbreak may be triggered. Menstruation can also bring about another outbreak and if you have any injury to the area, an outbreak may occur. This could be an accidental injury or surgery in that area.

A trigger that you can avoid is UV light, which is mainly from the use of sun beds. A lot of women find that after they have spent time on the sun bed, another outbreak will occur. This trigger is easily avoidable and so is the trigger of excess alcohol. If you have had too much alcohol consumption over a period of time then an outbreak may more readily occur.

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