If you've recently been diagnosed with genital herpes or you've been living with the disease for some time now, you no doubt know the importance of integrating a genital herpes treatment regime into your life.

There are a few types of treatment to choose from, and each will have different levels of success depending on the individual.

The first option is medically prescribed antiviral medication. This type of genital herpes treatment can only be bought by prescription after a diagnosis and consultation with your doctor. Antivirals can be taken as suppressive therapy (detailed below), or in response to an outbreak to expedite healing time.

Another option is homeopathic or natural remedies. These treatments, whose effectiveness has been doubtful in previous years, have been the focus of intensive development in recent times, and there are several options that have been shown to be just as effective as prescribed treatments. These can usually be taken daily to prevent outbreaks, taken when the user anticipates an attack, or taken during an outbreak to reduce its severity and infection length.

These types of genital herpes treatment can be taken as a preventative, which means that users will take the medication when they anticipate a breakout is about to occur, usually when experiencing the 'tingling' sensation similar to a cold sore outbreak, or after a period in their life a user has identified as a trigger, such as stress, sleep deprivation or a bout with a cold or flu. They can also be taken as suppressive therapy, which entails daily doses of the chosen medication to reduce the risk of outbreak or transmission.

The third type of genital herpes treatment which has shown great success in those who experience minimal outbreaks, and also as a great supplement to medication in those who do, is simply a lifestyle adjustment. Eating healthy, avoiding fatty and sugary foods, not drinking alcohol to excess and getting plenty of exercise will reduce the occurence of outbreaks in any sufferer. Keeping a good hygiene regimen will also be of huge benefit, washing 2 to 3 times a day, and keeping the area dry and cool (cotton underwear rather than synthetics will greatly aid this).