Genital herpes can be a painful and reoccurring disease that affects both men and women. Women who are pregnant have an increased risk of passing the disease onto their unborn child through labor and delivery. This can be a problem that mothers face when trying not to pass the disease on, and trying to maintain a healthy pregnancy with genital herpes. There are ways that this can be prevented, and finding out that you have genital herpes in the beginning can help lead to a healthy, happy pregnancy overall when getting the right treatment early in the pregnancy.
Risks and Dangers Involved with Genital Herpes and Childbirth
Women who have the genital herpes disease can in fact, have a safe and normal childbirth vaginally. Being tested early on in the pregnancy can help determine what your risks are, and how to treat the disease without passing it to the unborn child. A blood test should tell you whether or not you’re positive for the herpes virus, or the most advanced tests would be the Western Blot. This will give more accurate results and is more widely available.
20 to 25% of pregnant women have the genital herpes disease. When a woman has genital herpes before she become pregnant, she has a lesser chance of passing it onto her child during childbirth. Antibodies are present in the blood once the virus has been in the system for awhile. These antibodies can actually prevent and protect the baby from contracting the disease. Recurrent genital herpes presents a minimal risk to pregnancy, and if the woman becomes crossed with the virus during pregnancy, there is a chance that the disease can interfere with the baby’s health through the placenta. This only happens in around 5% of cases.
If the virus is transmitted to the unborn child, this can cause neonatal herpes which can be potentially fatal to the child. The pregnant women are at the highest of transmitting the disease to their unborn child is those women who contract the virus later on in pregnancy.
During Delivery
The spread of herpes during delivery is rare, but not unheard of. If the woman has an outbreak, or active herpes during delivery, a c section is performed for minimal risks. The risk of passing it onto the unborn child is higher if the mother is having an outbreak at the time of delivery. There are small risks that include asymptomatic shedding which is when an outbreak occurs without any symptoms. Around 10 to 14% of women who have the herpes virus have an active lesion during the time of delivery. If the woman has had the virus for 6 years or more, she is at a decreased risk for passing it on; if the woman contracted it during pregnancy she is at a higher risk.
Less than 0.1% of babies become infected with neonatal herpes. This happens when the baby becomes in contact with the virus during delivery through the birth canal. Babies can get this infection when the mother has not had the virus for long enough to build up antibodies to protect against it. When a baby is born prematurely, they are at a slightly higher risk of contracting the disease from the mother during delivery. This is because the antibodies needed to protect the infant from the virus begin forming around 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Herpes After Birth
Herpes can be spread to the infant after birth if someone with a cold sore kisses the child. When an infant has herpes, it can be a serious condition with eye infections, throat infections, central nervous system damage, mental retardation, and even death. Once the baby reaches around six months old, they can better handle the virus because of the antibodies they have built up. If there is an outbreak of herpes, make sure to always wash your hands before handling the baby to prevent it from spreading. If the infected area does not come into direct contact with the child, there is no risk when it comes to breastfeeding, laying in bed with the baby, or even holding the baby.
There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to having genital herpes, and thinking of becoming pregnant. You also want to ensure that you do not contract the virus while pregnant since this can lead to worse chances of spreading the virus. There are ways to prevent it from spreading, and taking precaution during these times is advised when coming in contact with the newborn.