Hi I am new to this and I have a alot of questions !! I am 4 months pregnant and i broke out in a nasty rash and had a discharge it hurt so badly i went to the (er) The doc looked @ it and said right out that it was herpes, i was devestated he gave me a perscripton for (zovirax) and i had been taking it since the outbreak. He mentioned in so many words that I might want to consider having a abortion b/c he doen't know if the baby has it! I could do nothing but cry.I called my ob/gyn and she told me not to worry that everything was going to be alright and she couldn't believe he said that ,but i am still worried!!!The thing is I am married and I had been noticing cuts and ash like sores on my husband for the past 2 yrs and he told me that he thought it was from having sex so we both left it like that b/c we are in a good relationship. I had been having aching joints and back pain,tears in my vaginal canal,irration during sex,itching, but no sores for the same time I had seen the cuts and ash sores on him.I kept going to the doc and they kept telling me that it was a bacterial infection and left it like that. When i told him that the doc said it was herpes he was mad! He is in the military and he told me that he automatically knew that they tested him for it now we are back and forth argueing tring to find out whom got it from whom!!

my questions are:

1. I think the whole aching pain all over and vaginal tears were signs of herpes all along but why didn't I have a bad outbreak the 1st time it entered my body or all along? why all of a sudden i got a bad outbreak when i became pregnant?

2. Does my unborn child have it?

3. If I take medicine to get over a outbreak or control it will it harm my baby?

4. Can women that have herpes have healthy babies even if they do have a c-section during delivery?

5. Is it a good idea to be on suppersive therapy throught out my entire pregnancy?

thanks,

I don't think you have anything to worry about. If you've had herpes in your system for years then your body has built up the proper antibodies to protect you and your child against the disease.

If you had never had herpes before and just contracted it then there would be more cause for worry. However, no woman should have to abort a child.
If there is a high risk for infecting your baby then all you need is a C-section. If there isn't a high risk for infecting then you can go ahead with a vaginal birth.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. You will be fine.

Hi I am new to this and I have a alot of questions !! I am 4 months pregnant and i broke out in a nasty rash and had a discharge it hurt so badly i went to the (er) The doc looked @ it and said right out that it was herpes, i was devestated he gave me a perscripton for (zovirax) and i had been taking it since the outbreak. He mentioned in so many words that I might want to consider having a abortion b/c he doen't know if the baby has it! I could do nothing but cry.I called my ob/gyn and she told me not to worry that everything was going to be alright and she couldn't believe he said that ,but i am still worried!!!The thing is I am married and I had been noticing cuts and ash like sores on my husband for the past 2 yrs and he told me that he thought it was from having sex so we both left it like that b/c we are in a good relationship. I had been having aching joints and back pain,tears in my vaginal canal,irration during sex,itching, but no sores for the same time I had seen the cuts and ash sores on him.I kept going to the doc and they kept telling me that it was a bacterial infection and left it like that. When i told him that the doc said it was herpes he was mad! He is in the military and he told me that he automatically knew that they tested him for it now we are back and forth argueing tring to find out whom got it from whom!!

my questions are:

1. I think the whole aching pain all over and vaginal tears were signs of herpes all along but why didn't I have a bad outbreak the 1st time it entered my body or all along? why all of a sudden i got a bad outbreak when i became pregnant?

2. Does my unborn child have it?

3. If I take medicine to get over a outbreak or control it will it harm my baby?

4. Can women that have herpes have healthy babies even if they do have a c-section during delivery?

5. Is it a good idea to be on suppersive therapy throught out my entire pregnancy?

thanks,

I can't even believe that the DR. said that to you. Your baby should be fine and not be exposed unless it passes through the birth canal while you are having an outbreak. Your OB with check you for sores before you deliver.A lot of women take that medication during pregnancy to suppress outbreaks for delivery. I don't want to speculate on if you have had it a while or not but a womans body goes crazy when pregnant. Your immune system decreases and could maybe cause a bad one.My friend is 7 months and hasn't had asthma since she was 6 y/o and is on a nebulizer for 4 months now.

I am very sorry you were treated like that by a medical professional. That is just horrible. One thing I can tell you is that the military DOES NOT test for herpes in their standard panal of testing. Reason I know that is because my BF is currently in Iraq and I was diagnosed after he left. So I researched what kind of testing the military does do and HSV is not one of them, you have to ask for that kind of test, same as you would if you went to see a doctor to get tested for STD's. Alot of people I believe have always thought docs test for everything, but they don't. Unless your husband actually asked what exactly he was being tested for and he got an answer that herpes was one of them, then honestly he doesn't have a case because I can almost garauntee he was not tested for herpes. I hope everything turns out ok for you, I wouldn't worry about what the stupid doctor said to you, your baby will be fine, women with HSV have healthy babies all of the time. And not for nothing but he was out of line from a medical standpoint even suggesting something like that to you......

take care

1. There are lots of reasons you could have been infected without it being obvious to you. Herpes is a sneaky virus.

2. It is incredibly unlikely that your unborn baby has it. It's incredibly unlikely that your unborn baby will contract it in utero. It happens, but it is very rare and you should try not to let it worry you.

3. acyclovir/zovirax and valtrex are both very commonly used to treat herpes during pregnancy and are generally accepted as safe. they aren't recommended during the first trimester unless indicated by severe and/or frequent outbreaks

4. women with herpes definately can deliver healthy babies and don't usually require a c-section. with recurrent infections, surgical delivery is only indicated if there are
symptoms

5. suppressive therapy is generally not presecribed during a whole pregnancy unless you have a history of frequent and severe outbreaks. the common treatment is to prescribe suppressive doses of acyclovir or valtrex beginning between 34-36wks.

I know it is scary, but try to relax and not let it bother you. the risk of transmitting the virus, even in cases of babies born during overlooked outbreaks, is very low. around 5% when delivered during an outbreak and around 1% or less in the absence of symptoms. That means you have a 95-99% chance of a healthy baby even in the worst case scenario! Neonatal herpes is an uncommon disease and while you are definately doing the right thing by educating yourself, try not to let it worry you too much. I agree that you should see your ob/gyn.

Thanks to everyone that replied to my posting!! I feel more relieved that I had a chance to read the replies!and thankful that i had a chance to talk to some people that are in the same boat that I am. I will try not to worry about it but it seems when you are pregnant you tend to worry about things a little bit more than usual.I will just pray that I will have a safe & happy baby b/c to be honest it is in GOD's hands!

thanks again everyone!

Obviously your doctor is the best person to consult, however, what I've learned from my lil research that there are about 2000 cases of neo-natal herpes reported every year in the U.S. This surely is a very very minor percentage however you must consult your doctor and get professional advice and care.

Best of Luck :)

Dear first time mommy, The joys of motherhood. This is only one of millions of things that you get to worry about. hehehe Your child will be beautiful and healthy and sweet and make you thank god every day that you have her/him. Things like herpes and other STD'S happen and there is no sense in worrying too much. YOu just get through them and move on to the next thing. Enjoy your pregnancy. I hope you'll be ok once you speak to your OB/GYN. That other doctor is a real jerk and it's sad he's in the profession. Lots of luck to you sweetie

I was wondering if a person that is in the military has something like HSV are they automacitally kicked out the military? I know for a fact that you can not have HIV/AIDs in the military! Just asking....

HSVmom is right on with all her points. You may have been a carrier of the virus and never had an outbreak until your body went crazy with the changes of pregnancy, or your husband may have been a carrier and started having outbreaks after the stress or exposure to who knows what during tours of duty. The military only tests for communicable diseases that could cause harm or be life threatening to other soldiers like tuberculosis, hepatitis, malaria, etc. They do not kick out soldiers or other personnel for having HSV - if they did then people who have cold sores can't serve in the military - how ridiculous would that be?!?

If you trust your husband, then there's no sense in pointing fingers over who gave herpes to whom. Just focus on your and your baby's health and follow all the advice for supplements you can and can't take during pregnancy. If you're still having outbreaks later on, suppressive therapy may be the way to go. Everything will be fine with your baby, just have faith in yourself and stay healthy!

As for the ER doctor, maybe his mom should have terminated him to keep him from practicing "medicine" so horribly!

Anyway, good luck - we're all here for you!