Value of Examining the Sexual Partners of Women Suffering from Initial Genital Herpes

Abstract

In a retrospective clinical audit of patient records to determine the value of examining the sexual partners of women with initial genital herpes, it was evident that only the regular partners attended for screening.

Twenty-six per cent of women with initial genital herpes and 19% of male partners had some form of other lower genital tract infection. Of 164 male partners of women with initial genital herpes, 30 (18.3%) also suffered from initial genital herpes at the same time, 22 (13.4%) gave a history of, or had signs consistent with, recurrent genital herpes, and 3 (1.8%) asymptomatic male partners without a previous history of genital ulceration had herpes simplex virus isolated from the urethra on routine screening.