how common is it to spread herpes to your unborn

I'm copying a previous post of mine... here it is again.

The virus is spread to the baby the same way it is spread to a partner, and thus it can be spread regardless of whether Mom is having an outbreak. It has to do with whether she is shedding during delivery. The virus is passed through the birth canal.

The chances of spreading it to a baby during vaginal delivery (if Mom isn't having an outbreak) are 1 in 1950 for a woman who contracted the virus during her pregnancy. That's just 0.05%. For a woman who has had the virus long enough to build up antibodies against it, the chances are 1 in 5500 or 0.02%.

If you inform your OB of your genital herpes status, he/she will put you on Valtrex about a month before the baby is due. This not only prevents an outbreak, allowing for a vaginal deliver, but also suppresses the virus and reduces the chances of a safe delivery even further.

Very few women with genital herpes have c-sections soley because of their herpes status. It's a way higher risk to have a c-section than it is to pass the virus on to an infant.