In pregnancy, genital herpes does not affect the health of the unborn child before birth, and when the baby is born, in most cases it is absolutely healthy. But it is possible, though the probability is small, that the child can "catch" the herpes virus at birth. In this case, the result may not be very comforting. Therefore, it is important to remember that if you have vaginal herpes in pregnancy, then you should immediately inform your doctor about it.
Is the genital herpes dangerous for a child in pregnant women?
As a rule, the herpes simplex virus can cause sexual herpes, and during pregnancy, immunity is often unable to resist it. Here are just herpes simplex in pregnancy appears on the lips and in the mouth, and genital herpes is caused by type 2 virus (HSV-2). This virus enters the human body and remains there throughout the life of its "victim". He is not active all the time, but at certain times this virus comes alive, and he begins to terrorize his master.
If the virus of genital herpes has appeared before pregnancy, then your child is not in danger. This is because the body has enough time for the immune system to develop antibodies to it. This immunity protects not only the pregnant woman, but also is passed on to the baby and is kept with him for three months after birth.
Genital herpes during pregnancy - is it dangerous?
In some cases, genital herpes in pregnancy can be recurrent. That is, after treatment, he appears again after a while. But a second disease of this nature is much safer than the manifestation of herpes for the first time. If the herpes at the pregnant woman has appeared for the first time, it can lead to following consequences:
- miscarriage;
- retardation of intrauterine development;
- premature birth;
- underdevelopment of the child's brain
- edema of the baby's brain.
Treatment of genital herpes in pregnancy
When pregnant women have genital herpes, the doctor can prescribe a course of treatment with drugs that kill viruses. Such treatment is carried out for five days. Most often, herpes genitalia is treated with Acyclovir . This drug makes the course of the disease not so acute and speeds up the process of recovery of the patient. Even if herpes during pregnancy did not appear on the genitals, but on the buttock, it is still better not to neglect the timely treatment. When the appearance of this type of herpes in late pregnancy may need caesarean section in order to protect the baby from contracting the herpes virus.