HERPES

How do I handle the discharge from having genital herpes?

Dear Dr. Amy:

Hi Dr. Amy.
I am 17 and I’ve just found out (it’s been about 1 or 2 months) that I have herpes. One of my first symptoms of herpes was thick discharge. I was just wondering if I am always going to have a heavy and thick discharge? I thought I would only have the discharge when it flares up or something like that but I find that everytime I go to the bathroom there is a large amount of discharge in my underwear. It appears to be dry on my underwear but when I took it it flakes up. And also there is a hideous odor that comes along with it. How can I get rid of it? It really bothers me because when I go to get intimate (and yes it’s protected) with my mate there is this strong odor coming from me and I don’t even want to know what he is thinking. He already knows that I have it and he has it too, but I don’t want him to have to smell me and see thick white stuff in my underwear. Is it something that I will have to talk to my doctor about? Can she give me something for it? I just wanted to ask you first to see if it was normal or not. Thank you very much. 
Shante

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Dr. Amy’s Response:

 
Dear Shante,

Having a slight vaginal discharge is not uncommon for females particularly around the middle of their menstrual cycle. However, what you are describing sounds more like an infection due to the odor and density of the discharge. This may or not be related to herpes and may require a different medication. Yes, you need to go to your doctor so that she can analyze the disharge and prescribe proper treatment.

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