It is important to dispel some myths about genital herpes. Genital herpes:
- does not affect fertility,
- is not hereditary (passed from parent to child), and
- is not associated with developing cervical cancer.
In rare cases, the blisters that are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) can become infected by other bacteria, potentially causing a skin infection to spread to other parts of your body.
Genital herpes and pregnancy
In some instances, the herpes virus can pose problems during pregnancy. If you had genital herpes before becoming pregnant, the risk to your baby is very low.
This is because during the last few months of pregnancy, your baby develops antibodies to all the infections that you have had in the past. The antibodies protect your baby during the birth, and for several months afterwards.
If you develop genital herpes for the first time during the first trimester (weeks 0-13), or second trimester (weeks 14-26) of pregnancy, the risk of passing the virus on to your baby is slightly increased. To prevent this, you may need to take anti-viral medicine, such as aciclovir, while you are pregnant.
If you develop genital herpes for the first time during the late stages of pregnancy, the risk of passing the virus on to your baby is considerably higher. This is because your baby will not have time to develop any antibodies, and the virus can be passed on just before, or during, the birth. Therefore, in order to prevent this happening, you may need to have a caesarean section delivery.
If you develop genital herpes during the latter stages of pregnancy, you will need to take anti-viral medicine continuously for the last four weeks of your pregnancy. However, this may not prevent the need for a caesarean.
There is also a risk of passing HSV on to your baby if you have recurrent infections of genital herpes during the third trimester (week 27 until birth). However, you will not need to have a caesarean section delivery unless you have blisters and ulcers on your genital area at the time of birth.
