Pregnancy & Herpes

Contracting

Herpes for the First Time While You are Pregnant
If you contract genital herpes for the first time while you are pregnant, there are various risks for your baby. You may pass the virus onto your unborn child resulting in death or damage to his or her nerves. You may also have a premature birth. A baby born with herpes may suffer from skin, eye, or brain damage. If a baby is treated immediately with Acyclovir, the risks of complications are greatly reduced. Since prevention is better than cure it is crucial that you do your utmost to avoid becoming infected while pregnant.

Having an Outbreak or Recurrence of Herpes During Pregnancy
If you already have genital herpes, and have an outbreak during pregnancy, your chances of passing the virus onto your baby are very low. You should be able to give birth normally without any significant risk of transmission. If however you have sores or lesions around your genitals or birth canal, there is a risk of transmitting the virus during giving birth. In this case, standard procedure for most doctors will involve performing a Caesarian section, to avoid contact between the child and infectious lesions.

Precautions

Just as with any other time you have an outbreak, it is important not to spread the herpes simplex virus further by contamination. Make sure that you wash your hands before and after touching any wounds. This is even more important after giving birth, since you want to avoid transmitting the herpes 2 virus to your newborn child. It is essential that you keep in close contact with your doctor during any recurrences and inform him or her of your status if you are already aware of having genital herpes. You also need to inform any other health workers who examine you.

Help and Support

There are various help and support groups who will be able to offer you advice and reduce feelings of isolation or anxiety about your forthcoming birth and herpes status. Many genitourinary clinics and obstetrics and gynecology clinics should be able to put you in touch with other mothers to be in a similar situation via support groups. There are also professionals trained in offering advice and counseling on the subject. Even if you are geographically isolated, there are various chat rooms, and websites to help you overcome any problems or fears.