Patient's question:
Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: How long have you been infected with HSV? Can you raise a healthy child during the periods without recurrence? What precautions should be taken?Current general condition: Generally, there is no recurrence
Medical history: Infected for 5 years
Doctor's answer:
Although genital herpes is common, the risk of your child developing neonatal herpes is not high, especially if you have had genital herpes before the late stage of pregnancy (the 7th to 9th month). The incidence of neonatal herpes among live births: in the United States, it is 1/1,800 to 5,000; in the United Kingdom, it is 1/60,000; in Australia and France, it is 1/10,000; and in the Netherlands, it is 1/35,000. This means that most women with genital herpes can give birth to healthy children.If the mother develops genital herpes during the last three months of pregnancy, the risk of her child developing neonatal herpes is the highest. This is because mothers who have recently been infected with herpes have not yet produced enough antibodies to fight the virus, so the child cannot be naturally protected before and during birth. Additionally, recently acquired genital HSV infection is often very active, so it is likely that the virus will be present in the birth canal during delivery.
Women who have had genital herpes before pregnancy have a low risk of transmitting HSV to their infants. This is because their immune systems have already produced antibodies, which can pass from the mother's blood through the placenta into the fetus. Even if there is HSV activity in the birth canal during delivery, antibodies help protect the child. Additionally, if a mother knows she has genital herpes, her doctor will take measures to protect the child.
If you are pregnant and also have genital herpes, you may be concerned about the risk of transmitting herpes to your child. To be sure, this