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DOES STRESS TRIGGER HERPES?
I’m a 31-year old woman and have had genital herpes since college. It reappears about twice a year and I find myself obsessively trying to figure out what makes it reappear. Sometimes I am positive that it’s stress and other times I’m not sure. I manage my stress pretty well with exercise and yoga, but it returns even when I’m feeling relaxed. Is there any direct connection between stress and herpes, or should I just stop stressing over this cause and effect relationship?
Dear Asker,
You might obsess less knowing that researchers have not linked stress-filled days and experiences with genital herpes flair-ups, nor can they definitively point to any other reasons for the frequency, duration and severity of symptom reoccurrence. This doesn’t rule out stress as a contributing factor; in fact, it’s up there with illness, poor nutrition, menstruation and skin friction as one of the top symptom triggers sited by people with herpes.
We worry about herpes and similar life-long health issues because they’re unwanted and we can’t always predict or control their appearance. But, your stress control efforts are clearly paying off and may indeed be limiting your symptoms to only once or twice annually. Maybe by focusing on your stress reduction successes, and accepting or expecting your viral visits like a yearly cold, you will diminish the need to pinpoint causes of returning symptoms.
It’s also obvious that you take time to learn about, consider and manage this fact of your life. Because so many people live with the genital herpes virus (1 in 5 Americans over age 12 according to the Centers for Disease Control), there are a gazillion resources for herpes prevention, treatment and support for those who seek stress-managing information. One such portal for lots of health topics is Medline Plus from the National Institutes of Health.
Info sharing is a powerful remedy, so thanks for your question.
Les
9/07
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