Herpes and Pregnancy

Pregnancy

It is quite uncommon to see both herpes and pregnancy occur at the same time. The effects of such can be quite serious especially when the disease occurs during the later part of one's pregnancy.

In a recent study on herpes, it shows that about 20 percent of women who are pregnant have genital herpes. This might sound like a source of panic, anxiety and even fear for most people. It is rightly for them to do so considering the incurable nature of the disease. Once it gets into the person's body, it stays there for the rest of the individual's lifetime.

Most of the time actually, pregnant women with herpes have healthy babies. There is a very low possibility of the babies getting the virus from their infected mothers. The possibility hangs around a 20 to 30 percent chance that the baby gets infected with the virus as well.

The effects of the virus on a newborn baby of a herpes-infected woman make up quite a wide spectrum. They are mostly determined by the severity of the condition as well as the specific type of the virus. Rashes are the most common indications that the baby is infected.

Basically, it is the virus type that determines which part of the baby's body gets affected. The worst case is with the HSV-2 virus. It can cause a lot of damage on the central nervous system of the baby. Consequent effects include meningitis, seizures and possible death. Other cases may result to mental retardation, but this is quite rare in the occurrence of both herpes and pregnancy.

Treatment success for this situation lies on the effectiveness of antiviral medications. They have been developed primarily for the specific purpose of controlling and preventing the outbreak of herpes. More so, they are made to assure the safety for the youngsters who take them. Any possibilities of birth defect are at the lowest level.

To deal with the infection, the three most trusted medications are valacyclovir, famciclovir and acyclovir. There have been studies done about the use of these drugs, and they have been proven to work with the most minor side effects. This is why they are most recommended by medical professionals.

Despite the less possibility of the babies getting infected with the disease, it is still a necessity to take preventive measures to help keep the baby away from the disease. Virus transmission is caused by the baby getting in direct exposure to the lesions in the infected area. Another thing that can make the baby vulnerable to the infection is the insufficient amount of antibodies that the baby needs to fight off the disease. When the disease occurs during the first two trimesters of the pregnancy, there is a chance for the child to have acquired enough antibodies to deal with herpes. This is, however, impossible if the mother gets infected during the last trimester.

Herpes and pregnancy might not be the perfect ingredient to any fatal incidents, but it has its set of serious consequences on the baby's overall health. Therefore, ample care should be taken. The perfect way to do so is to avoid sexual contact.