The first episode after contracting herpes is called the primary infection. This usually lasts longer and causes more intense symptoms than do recurrences. Despite this, about three quarters of the time infected people don’t know they have herpes because the symptoms are so mild. In general, women experience more severe symptoms than men.Infected people may notice symptoms in the genital area: the penis and scrotum in men; the vaginal lips (labia) in women; and, for both sexes, the thighs, around the anus, and on the buttocks. Herpes may cause intense pain even before sores develop; some people feel itching or burning rather than pain. On average, sores appear from two days to two weeks after initial infection. There may also be vaginal or penile discharge, and swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the groin. Occasionally both men and women may have painful urination. A person with primary herpes infection may also notice more general symptoms such as fever, body aches, headache, nausea, and fatigue. The sores of primary infection last about two weeks.Repeated episodes of herpes, called recurrences, are most frequent during the first three months after the primary infection. Some people do not have recurrences; for others, recurrences may grow less frequent and less severe with time. For many, recurrence means sores with pain and itching that are similar to, though milder than, the primary infection. Most recurrences don’t involve the more general symptoms of fever, body aches, and nausea common with the first episode. Recurrences can be triggered by such diverse factors as fever, trauma, emotional stress, sunlight, and menstruation, and last nine days on average.