Herpes and Pregnancy
Although couples with herpes can have normal, healthy children, there are some things people need to consider about herpes and pregnancy. Although instances are rare, there is a chance of passing herpes on to the unborn baby so it is very important that you see a medical practitioner during pregnancy and if you know you have herpes, inform your medical care provider of this fact. This is absolutely necessary even if your last active outbreak of herpes was well in the past. Your medical practitioner can advise you about herpes and pregnancy, prescribe any necessary medications, and monitor your pregnancy for any kinds of complications.
Twenty to twenty-five percent of all pregnant women are infected with herpes, although the majority of them do not know that they have the virus. Of these, only one percent will ever have any herpes complications during their pregnancy. Women who have their first outbreak of herpes during their last trimester are at the highest risk of passing the virus on to their infant. This is because if you have had an outbreak of herpes in the past or during the first or second trimesters of your pregnancy, your immune system has developed antibodies to protect you and these antibodies are passed on to the developing fetus. The greatest risk of a baby being infected with the herpes virus comes from having an active outbreak of herpes at the time you are delivering the baby.
If you do have an active herpes outbreak at the time of delivery, the baby will be delivered by cesarean section. That is because if a child goes through the birth canal, he or she can come into contact with the herpes sores, the most immediate source of infant herpes transmission. Vaginal birth is thought to be a safe way to deliver unless the expectant mother is in the midst of an active outbreak of sores. It is very rare for a newborn to have contracted herpes from the placenta. The risk of herpes is greater in a premature baby because the antibodies to the virus may not yet have had time to develop.
When your health practitioner or doctor talks to you about herpes and pregnancy, they will most likely inform you that most of the drugs used to treat herpes are not good for use during pregnancy. The one exception is the drug, acyclovir, which has been given to women in their third trimester without complications. Although more studies need to be done on the drug in relation to herpes and pregnancy, it is up to doctor and mother to decide if the benefits outweigh the risks. Of the research done thus far neither babies or mothers have had any negative results.
In the rare instance where a newborn is infected with the herpes virus, there can be serious consequences to the health of the baby. This is because the virus can affect both the nervous system and internal organs. The effects can be fatal, or lead to blindness or metal retardation. Babies who are thought to be at high risk of herpes infection are routinely given herpes tests within the first twenty-four hours of birth. A positive test result is treated with intravenous doses of the drug acyclovir. Treatment can last up to three weeks.