Suppressive Treatment for Genital Herpes in Pregnancy
- Suppressive treatment drugs in pregnancy. Your doctor may recommend suppressive therapy during pregnancy to help reduce your number of herpes outbreaks, especially if you have six or more episodes per ...
- Transmission prevention during sex. ...
- Talk to your doctor. ...
When is herpes most dangerous for a pregnant woman?
The risk of infecting the baby is high (30% to 50%) when a woman is newly infected late in pregnancy, however. That's because the mother's immune system has not developed protective antibodies against the virus. Women with an older herpes infection have antibodies against the virus, which help protect the baby.
Is it hard for women with herpes to get pregnant?
Women with genital herpes can have healthy children. If you have genital herpes, precautions can help prevent your baby from getting the virus. If you have genital herpes and your partner doesn’t, you can spread the virus that causes it to your partner during sex.
Should I take my genital herpes during pregnancy?
You may be offered antiviral treatment:
- to treat outbreaks in pregnancy
- from 36 weeks to reduce the chance of an outbreak during birth
- from diagnosis until the birth if you first get herpes after 28 weeks of pregnancy
How to get rid of herpes symptoms naturally?
Supplements
- Zinc. Taking zinc may reduce how many herpes outbreaks you experience each year. ...
- Vitamin B complex. Vitamin B complex supplements contain all of the B-class vitamins. ...
- Lysine. Lysine is an amino acid that your body uses for digestion and healthy cell growth. ...
- Probiotics. ...
How do I deal with herpes while pregnant?
If you have a history of herpes (or your blood test is positive), your provider may prescribe an antiviral medication such as acyclovir (Valtrex) to reduce the risk of spreading the virus or having an outbreak around the time of your delivery.
What happens if you are pregnant and have herpes?
Herpes and Pregnancy Be reassured that the risk is extremely small. If a woman with genital herpes has virus present in the birth canal during delivery, herpes simplex virus (HSV) can be spread to an infant, causing neonatal herpes, a serious and sometimes fatal condition.
Is herpes worse during pregnancy?
The hormonal, immune, and other physical changes that occur during pregnancy, as well as the overall toll of growing a baby, are also thought to contribute to a greater frequency of active herpes infections. The virus remains dormant between outbreaks until reactivated.
Can I use herpes cream when pregnant?
Medicines recommended Cold sores are often treated with aciclovir cream which is a specific antiviral medication. This is applied to the affected area. It is considered safe at all stages of pregnancy. If the cold sores are severe, aciclovir or valaciclovir tablets may be prescribed by your GP.
Is acyclovir OK to take pregnant?
Conclusion: Use of acyclovir in the first trimester does not increase birth defects, and it should be the antiviral drug of choice in early pregnancy.
Can I have a healthy baby if I have herpes?
The herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes genital herpes. If you have genital herpes, it's possible to transmit the HSV to your baby, so you'll need to make a plan with your doctor to keep that from happening. But rest assured, most people with genital herpes give birth to healthy babies and don't pass on the virus.
Does pregnancy make herpes flare up?
Outbreaks generally become milder because your body makes antibodies to the virus. There's no evidence that pregnancy causes herpes outbreaks, but approximately 75% of pregnant women with herpes will have an outbreak at some point during their pregnancy. Herpes can lie dormant for many years.
Do you have to tell your doctor you have herpes when pregnant?
Women with an older herpes infection have antibodies against the virus, which help protect the baby. If you are pregnant and think you may have been infected recently, tell your doctor right away.
Can my baby get herpes in the womb?
Birth-acquired herpes is a herpes virus infection that an infant gets during delivery or, less commonly, while still in the womb. The infection can also develop shortly after birth. Babies with birth-acquired herpes get the infection from mothers who are infected with genital herpes.
Can herpes cause birth defects?
In rare cases, if you get an initial herpes infection during your first trimester, the virus could pass through the placenta and cause a miscarriage or serious birth defects. Herpes can also be transmitted to your baby after birth, and the complications can be severe.
Can acyclovir harm my baby?
Topical use of acyclovir ointment is not expected to cause to increase the chance for birth defects. When applied on the skin, acyclovir does not enter the body in large amounts. Also, oral doses of acyclovir have not been associated with birth defects.
How to avoid getting herpes while pregnant?
Ways to Avoid Getting Herpes While Pregnant. Genital Herpes Treatment During Pregnancy. Pregnant women with genital herpes should be careful -- but not overly worried -- about passing the virus on to the baby.
Why is the risk of herpes high?
That's because the mother's immune system has not developed protective antibodies against the virus. Women with an older herpes infection have antibodies against the virus, which help protect the baby.
Can a woman have herpes before giving birth?
Women with genital herpes are examined carefully for any symptoms before giving birth . If sores or signs that an outbreak is coming show up at the time of delivery, the baby may be delivered by cesarean section (also called a C-section). The risk of infecting the baby is high (30% to 50%) when a woman is newly infected late in pregnancy, however.
Can a mother infect her baby?
A mother can infect their baby during delivery, sometimes fatally. But if a woman had genital herpes before getting pregnant, or if they are first infected early in pregnancy, the chance that their baby will be infected is very low -- less than 1%. Women with genital herpes are examined carefully for any symptoms before giving birth.
Can you take antiviral medication while pregnant?
Genital Herpes Treatment During Pregnancy. Women taking antiviral drugs for herpes -- either daily suppressive therapy or occasional therapy for outbreaks -- should consult their doctor about whether to take the drugs during pregnancy. The answer is not set in stone: You and your doctor have to discuss the risks and benefits to decide what's right ...
Herpes and Fertility
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are sexually transmitted. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can be transmitted during sexual contact.
Herpes and Gestation
While most people do not experience serious consequences of herpes during pregnancy, if you are at risk of herpes during pregnancy, you should take appropriate precautions. Non-monogamous individuals should practice safer sex to reduce the risk of herpes transmission.
Herpes and Postpartum
If you have an oral or genital herpes infection, it is important to clean your hands between touching your sores and touching your infant. Herpes infections are spread from skin to skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’ve had previous herpes outbreaks, they won’t necessarily affect your pregnancy. Unless you have an outbreak during pregnancy, no treatment is needed or recommended.
Summary
Herpes is primarily a concern during pregnancy if the pregnant person gets a new infection or if they have an outbreak or prodromal symptoms at the time of delivery. These carry a risk of transmission to the infant. Suppressive therapy starting at 36 weeks is recommended, and a C-section may also be indicated.
A Word From Verywell
If you have herpes, it can be reassuring to know that people infected with herpes before they become pregnant rarely have complications. That doesn’t mean it’s not important to pay attention to herpes symptoms. It just means that with appropriate treatment, other problems are unlikely.
Diagnostic Considerations
Clinical diagnosis of genital herpes can be difficult because the self-limited, recurrent, painful, and vesicular or ulcerative lesions classically associated with HSV are absent in many infected persons at the time of clinical evaluation.
Genital Herpes Management
Antiviral medication offers clinical benefits to symptomatic patients and is the mainstay of management. The goals for use of antiviral medications to treat genital herpes infection are to treat or prevent symptomatic genital herpes recurrences and improve quality of life and suppress the virus to prevent transmission to sexual partners.
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a rare manifestation of disseminated HSV infection, often reported among pregnant women who acquire HSV during pregnancy ( 484 ). Pregnant women in any trimester can present with fever and hepatitis (markedly elevated transaminases) but might not have any genital or skin lesions.
Prevention
Consistent and correct condom use has been reported in multiple studies to decrease, but not eliminate, the risk for HSV-2 transmission from men to women ( 486 – 488 ). Condoms are less effective for preventing transmission from women to men ( 489 ).
Counseling
Counseling of persons with genital herpes and their sex partners is crucial for management. The goals of counseling include helping patients cope with the infection and preventing sexual and perinatal transmission.
Management of Sex Partners
The sex partners of persons who have symptomatic genital herpes can benefit from evaluation and counseling. Symptomatic sex partners should be evaluated and treated in the same manner as patients who have symptomatic genital herpes.
Special Considerations
Allergic and other adverse reactions to oral acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir are rare. Desensitization to acyclovir has been described ( 500 ).
How long does a baby stay on a herpetic med?
This treatment is given intravenously and he may need to stay on it for several weeks. When you go into labor, your doctor should carefully examine you for herpetic lesions. If you aren’t experiencing sores or symptoms at delivery time, a vaginal birth may be possible.
What are the symptoms of herpes?
If you end up with a case of herpes, you might experience flu-like symptoms, including: Chills, fatigue, fever, headache, achiness, nausea and general malaise for two or more days. Accompanying genital pain, itching, pain when urinating, vaginal and urethral discharge, tenderness in the groin.
What is the cause of herpes?
Herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by one of two types of herpes simplex viruses (HSV), the viral infection that causes genital herpes. Both are spread through skin-to-skin contact and are often transmitted by someone who has no visible sores or blisters.
How long does herpes last?
The first bout with herpes can last from two to four weeks, during which time it can still be transmitted.
How long does it take for herpes to show up?
Herpes symptoms often appear about two to 10 days after the virus infects the body, but many people who contract herpes never experience symptoms at all. In fact, you might mistake herpes for a run-of-the-mill pimple or an ingrown hair.
Is herpes a cause for caution in 2021?
by Jennifer Kelly Geddes. Medically Reviewed by Mark Payson, M.D. on January 12, 2021. Liubov Burakova/Stocksy. Having herpes during pregnancy is a cause for caution, but not necessarily for alarm. Here’s how your doctor will treat this common infection during pregnancy and birth.
Can you test for HSV in blood?
A sample is taken from the fluid inside a sore and then tested to see if it contains the virus and, if it does, what type of HSV is present. A blood test can check for antibodies and therefore diagnose HSV and its type but it can’t determine how the infection was contracted or how long you’ve had the virus .
