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Genital herpes in pregnant women is one of the most serious problems that can occur during pregnancy and can cause serious damage to the baby’s development as well as during delivery. However, transmission to the baby does not occur in 100% of cases, and the woman who has the disease can generate and give birth to healthy babies.
What is Genital Herpes?
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease, and can be acquired through oral sex as well. There are two types of herpes, HSV-1 and HSV-2, the most common is type 1, which usually attacks orally, and can be transmitted to the partner through kissing and sexual intercourse, type 2 is the that manifests itself in the female and male genitals .
When the woman has had genital herpes, or rather, she already has the HSV virus and becomes pregnant, it is advisable to be informed to your gynecologist during the first prenatal consultation. Thus, the necessary care will be recommended to avoid contamination of the baby, because when the virus is acquired, it will be difficult to eliminate it from your body and may manifest at any time.
At the first sign of manifestation of genital herpes in pregnant women, the woman must immediately inform her doctor, it is important to be alert to symptoms such as red blisters in the vagina that can spread throughout the surrounding region, such as groin, legs and belly causing itching . There may also be signs similar to that of a common flu, such as fever, headache and muscle pain.
Explanatory Video
What is the Treatment for Genital Herpes in Pregnant Women?
Nowadays, treatment with antivirals is used to control and fight genital herpes in pregnant women, with medications such as Acyclovir, Fanciclovir and penciclovir being prescribed , which are considered to be drugs that present a low risk of pregnancy. The treatment will last on average 10 days and cannot be interrupted for better efficacy and further reducing the chances of contamination of the fetus, and must be monitored and carried out under the guidance of your obstetrician.
In addition to medication, it is advisable that the pregnant woman maintain sexual intercourse only with the use of condoms, in addition to taking care of her diet and good hours of sleep. It is proven by specialists that stress, physical tiredness and excessive sun exposure give more strength to the virus, making it even more active and manifesting itself in a more aggressive way.
Risks of Genital Herpes in Pregnancy
When the woman has never had the disease and the first manifestation of genital herpes occurs in pregnancy, it is the most worrying, since the first appearance of the infection is always the most aggressive because the woman does not yet have enough antibodies to fight the virus.
Herpes in the First Trimester
When it happens in the first trimester of pregnancy, spontaneous abortion and injuries to the fetus can occur , but when they occur at the end of pregnancy the risks are even greater, being able to transmit the virus to the baby in the placenta or even during delivery, so it is In these cases, it is advisable to have a cesarean section to reduce the chances of contamination of the baby.
When the Baby is Contaminated
When the baby is infected by the virus, prematurity can occur at birth, affect the eyes causing blindness and present microcephaly (reduced head growth), and can also reach the central nervous system, causing meningitis , convulsions and severe head pains that may already occur. manifest in the first two weeks of life.
In 45% of the cases of babies infected by the herpes virus, blisters are present all over the body and if not diagnosed early and treated properly, the child may die after a few days of being born.
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See also: Candidiasis in Pregnancy – Symptoms and Treatments
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
