herpes symptoms : HERPES and PREGNANCY

I had several outbreaks during pregnancy and was terrified I would pass the infection to my baby," Maria wrote to the Herpes Resource Center. "But I didn't have an outbreak at my delivery, and at my doctor's recommendation I delivered vaginally. I gave birth to a healthy, eight-pound baby girl. I want to tell other mothers that I know it's hard not to worry when your baby's safety is at stake. But please think positive thoughts and trust your doctor. My daughter, now 12 months, is healthy and beautiful. I wish the same for your family. "

Maria's story is echoed by many. While neonatal herpes is rare, women who know they have genital herpes are often concerned about the possibility of transmitting the virus to their babies at birth.

On the one hand, such concern is understandable, because herpes can have devastating consequences for a newborn. But on the other hand, the risk is extremely low, experts agree especially for women with known, long-standing infections.

Neonatal herpes is not a reportable disease in most states, so there are no hard statistics on the number of cases nationwide. However, most researchers estimate between 1,000 and 3,000 cases a year in the United States, out of a total of 4 million births. To put this in greater perspective, an estimated 20-25% of pregnant women have genital herpes, while less than 0.1% of babies contract an infection. "Neonatal herpes is a remarkably rare event", says Zane Brown, MD, an expert on neonatal herpes and a member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington. "Compared to all the other possible risks in a pregnancy, the risk of neonatal herpes is extremely small."

"I think it's perceived to be more of a problem than it is", says Scott Roberts, MD a researcher in the Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Kansas. "The rate of neonatal herpes is very low, even though the prevalence of genital herpes in our country is quite common."

Transmission rates are lowest for women who acquire herpes before pregnancy -- one study (Randolph, JAMA, 1993) placing the risk at about 0.04% for such women who have no signs or symptoms of an outbreak at delivery. The chances of transmission are highest when a woman acquires genital herpes late in pregnancy.

Unfortunately, when infants do contract neonatal herpes, the results can be tragic. About half of infants who are treated with antiviral medication escape permanent damage. But others may suffer serious neurological damage, mental retardation or death. It's fear of these terrible consequences, rather than the level of risk, that makes neonatal herpes a concern.

If you are pregnant and you-have genital herpes, you will want to talk with your obstetrician or midwife about how to manage the infection and minimize the risk to your baby.

If you are a man with either oral or genital herpes and your partner is uninfected and pregnant, you can do even more to protect the baby. Since the highest risk to an infant comes when the mother contracts HSV-1 or 2 during pregnancy, you can take steps to ensure that you don't transmit herpes during this crucial time.

So learn what you need to know, and then relax and enjoy the excitement of the pregnancy -- and remind her that the odds are strongly in favor of you're having a baby as healthy and happy as Maria's.

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