SusanM

Wanted to respond to some of your questions. First I want to say that I have a very rare and high rate of herpes recurrences. I have had two children and neither one contracted herpes. I had both vaginally. During my first pregnancy I broke out constantly (I mean multiple times a month) Most of my outbreaks are on my rear. About a month before I delivered I stopped having outbreaks (don't know why-guess my body was able to kick in as it usually isn't). Second pregnancy (two years ago) I decided to take acyclovir at end of pregnancy. My understanding is that this is becoming STANDARD PROCEDURE even though it is not FDA approved. I was told this by a reproductive endocrinologist at a teaching hospital. I was also told this by my own doc. I feel my child was not harmed in anyway by this, and she would have suffered much worse by being exposed to this virus that can cause death in infants. You obviously must make this decision yourself. Many, many excellent doctors on the cutting edge of current practice recommend taking medication these days.

I can't remember all of your questions but want to say that looking for an outbreak and not seeing one does not mean you are not shedding the virus-remember asymptomatic shedding?

Women who are most at risk for passing this virus on to there babies are women who contract it late in their pregnancy because they have not made the antibodies to protect baby.

Whatever you decide to do, the chances of passing it on to your baby are small because you know you have the virus and have had it for a while. One last thing, I have read and recently heard of a woman whose baby contracted herpes from a fetal scalp monitor. Don't let them use one on your baby. I always kept that in mind, and told my husband not to let them use one in case I became unable to object due to any unforseen circumstance. Try to relax many women with herpes have babies, and most of them don't get the virus. Best wishes, Susan.