Risk of transmission of genital herpes to the baby

[peepli]

hi i'm new to the forum. I was reading through the article in blogs here http://www.dermatalk.com/blogs/skin-disorders/genital-herpes/ . Nice read, but i have one question in my mind. What is the risk of transmission of genital herpes to the baby. I previously had HSV breakout 1 years back and i'm afraid we are planning to have baby this year. Please suggest me

[vencasand]

first find a good doctor. tell him about the herpes outbreak. he will closely monitor you to make sure things are okay. you automatically give your baby antibodies to protect them against infection. if you have a bad outbreak at time of birth it is possible to give your baby herpes but the doctor will probably suggest a cesearian delivery to prevent spreading to the newborn. there is a lot of info on google but i suggest you and your obgyn talk because he is the most knowledgable. very few moms and babies have problems so don't panic. it is just better to talk with your doctor.

[Dr.Deepak]

Yup, as brenda said. IF you never had herpes in the past and u had it in pregnancy chances are more( especially in late stage of pregnancy). So,as u already had an outbreak, your body has developed antibodies to herpes, which will be passed on to your baby through placenta and your baby will develop immunity to protect from herpes.

Talk to your doctor about it before getting pregnant he/she will suggest you personally. Usually if one already had an breakout of herpes before or during first half of pregnancy chances of transmission to baby is less then 1% . If one acquires during late stage of pregnancy chances are high as much as 30%-50% . In this case your doctor may suggest you to have cesarean delivery.

To avoid chances of infection and transmission late in pregnancy your doctor may prescribe you with Acyclovir prophylaxis, somewhere around 36 weeks of pregnancy. Please consult your doctor and do a regular follow-up you and your child will be safe.