Pregnancy+Herpes - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

shesus · 06-24-2006, 06:31 AM

I just found out that my 18 year old cousin is pregnant. While this is an issue in and of itself for many reasons (i.e. not married, no job, no college, the guy is 28 and still living at home, etc), we also found out that she has herpes from a previous guy.

Now, my family isn't very educated on herpes. My mom was said, "She didn't have sex during a flare up, so her boyfriend doesn't have it." Um, yea, he most likely does mom. Anyway, now we're concerned for the baby. I think that it will have herpes or at least cause complications. We're going to do searches on this topic and get all the medical jargon, but what I'm asking is this:

Has anyone known anyone who had herpes while pregnant? If so, what was it like for them? I just want some personal experiences instead of case studies and medical talk for now. That way I know that people have, or have not, had success in this issue.

cellophanedeity · 06-24-2006, 07:26 AM

Herpes can be transmitted to newborns, but it's not hugely common.

This website can help quite a bit. I've only posted a small section of the text.

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pre...s/1360877.html

"In rare cases, a mom-to-be will transfer the infection through the placenta to her baby if she gets genital herpes for the first time during pregnancy and has never had oral or genital herpes before (this is called a primary infection). If this happens, it can cause serious birth defects. A few studies have found that a primary infection during the first trimester can increase the risk of miscarriage, but other studies found no connection. If you have a primary infection during your second or third trimester you may be at increased risk for preterm delivery."

CaliLivChick · 06-24-2006, 07:27 AM

I don't have any personal experience with it, but my ex-boyfriend's now-wife (I was the last relationship he had before he met her) has it, and they have two kids. He called me when he found out he had it... he needed someone to talk to. I don't believe she had a lot of problems with her pregnancy, and the kids appear to be okay.

However, from what I've heard, if she has the baby vaginally, she can pass the herpes on to the baby that way. Her doctor will probably suggest having a C-section, and even if he doesn't suggest it, I would suggest to her that she talk to her doctor more about it, do some more research, get a second opinion, and possibly insist on having a C-section anyway. Good luck to your cousin.

cookmo · 06-24-2006, 10:07 AM

My cousin was pregnant with herpes, and they pretty much tould her that she had to have a c-section. She did, and the baby was fine. Good luck!

mixedmedia · 06-24-2006, 12:21 PM

Like several folks have mentioned before, she will probably be advised to have a c-section, especially if she has an outbreak close to her due date. And with the extra stress put on her body during pregnancy, she most likely will have more frequent outbreaks. And she should listen to that advice. Passing herpes on to a baby is very serious, especially if it infects the eyes.

noodle · 06-24-2006, 03:53 PM

One of the mothers that I worked with was misdiagnosed by a doctor who told her she had a severe yeast infection at 8 months into her pregnancy. She went into labor and they delivered the baby vaginally. She was a healthy child for about two weeks and then developed severe encephalopathy (commonly known as "water on the brain") and became neurologically devastated. She could breathe on her own and respond to pain, sound, light, etc. but was fed through a g-tube. The herpes virus had infected her brain during the birth. This is a severe case of a mother with an active outbreak and vaginal birth. And a docotr who didn't spend enough time with his patient and did not test her when he should have. The baby passed away in her sleep under Hospice care at 18 months old from cardiac arrest and respiratory failure.

BUT... this mother was taking her Valtrex prior to getting pregnant again and even before she started dating her boyfriend. He has tested negative for the past year. She gave birth via c-section to a perfectly "normal", healthy (FAT!) baby boy in May. Your cousin needs an OB-GYN with high risk experience. No matter what else is going on with her, she needs to insist on them treating it as a "high-risk pregnancy" to ensure that she and her child are receiving the best monitoring and care they can receive. That's my two cents, any way.

TotalMILF · 06-24-2006, 08:56 PM

I agree with what everyone else is saying - she should have a c-section to make sure she doesn't pass on the infection. As fredweena said, it can be extraordinarily serious if passed on to a newborn baby.

From http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/681_1201.asp

Quote:

What are the Symptoms of Herpes Infection in the Newborn?
Some infected newborns develop skin or mouth sores or eye infections. When the infection remains limited to these organs, most infected babies go on to develop normally, although serious permanent damage to nerves or the eyes can occur.

However, herpes infections in newborns often spread to the brain and many internal organs. Infected babies may appear irritable, eat poorly and have seizures. Even with treatment, about half of the infants with widespread infections involving the internal organs die, as do about 10 percent of those with brain infections. About 50 percent of babies who survive widespread infections and brain infections develop brain damage that can result in mental retardation, cerebral palsy, seizures, blindness or deafness.

How are Infected Newborns Treated?
Infected newborns are treated with acyclovir or another antiviral drug called vidarabine. These drugs are quite successful in treating localized infections of the eyes, skin or mouth, but are less effective once the infection has spread to the brain and other internal organs.

How can the Baby be Protected from Infection if the Mother Has Herpes?
If a pregnant woman has symptoms indicating an active infection (primary or recurrent) at the time of delivery, the baby usually can be protected from infection by a cesarean delivery. A vaginal delivery is safe for most women with recurrent herpes as long as they don’t have signs of infection at delivery.

Freewoman · 07-23-2006, 01:16 PM

OK, so this is a late post and I don't know if anyone will read it, but I'm 49 years old and have lived with herpes for 30 years now, have given birth twice (vaginally) to two healthy babies and I'd like to put in my two cents' worth.

I have to wonder why everyone in that girl's family has to know that she has herpes, in addition to everything else she is going through. IT'S A COLD SORE PEOPLE! It just happens to affect the naughty bits, which makes it extra inconvenient and sometimes miserable to go about one's daily life when dealing with an outbreak, but at least it's not visible like the kind on one's lip which thankfully, I DON'T have.

Pregnant women are bombarded with worst case scenarios even when they don't have a risk factor like herpes. The odds of her child dying like the one described are probably less than the odds of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester, given suppressive therapy and careful monitoring by her ob/gyn.

Please, a little less hysteria and a little more positive attitude. Many, many women have had uneventful pregnancies and healthy babies while living with the herpes virus. There is, however, a documented relationship between stress level and frequency of outbreaks. The mother-to-be needs loving support as her due-date approaches, not horror stories and veiled criticism.

whew! I feel better now...

shesus · 07-23-2006, 03:14 PM

Sorry I haven't posted back to this thread, but I have no more up-dates about it. My family is now not talking about it with me because I'm no longer in town. But thank you for all the information, I did pass it along.

Freewoman, I think that with her situation it is a bit more of an issue. She's 18 and is now pregnant and we know how she is past and present. So it is a problem for the family because she has a tendency to get the family involved in all her craziness. Also, since my grandmother and her mother will most likely be taking care of this child, they have things at stake when it comes to the baby's health.

I know that mistakes happen and you can't prevent everything, but you can take precautions, which she chose not to do. I'm not saying she is a horrible person, she's family and we love her, but she came to us with these problems. So I would like to help out as much as I can to prevent further complications with her health or the baby's well being. I would prefer not to be involved, but that is pretty much impossible in this case.

raeanna74 · 07-24-2006, 05:20 AM

A planned C-section delivery would not be all that difficult. You get plenty of pain meds and until a few days later you hardly feel the cut. And my scar is practically invisible 6 years later. By all the recommendations you hear with regards to a c-section being preferred in this type of situation - my advice would be for her to go with a c-section even if she's given an option. It's much safer for the baby and not really much harder, especially if it's planned for. She can sortof pick the birth date. No all nighter labor.

pornclerk · 07-24-2006, 08:18 AM

First of all, it seems as though your mom needs some sex education. Herpes can spread even if you aren't having a flare up.
I would highly recommend talking to a doctor about this. They will give you the answers and let you know what your options are. I wouldn't trust that the research I have done about it is completely accurate. It's best to ask the expert.

06-24-2006, 06:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
shesus Fancy Location: Chicago	Pregnancy+Herpes I just found out that my 18 year old cousin is pregnant. While this is an issue in and of itself for many reasons (i.e. not married, no job, no college, the guy is 28 and still living at home, etc), we also found out that she has herpes from a previous guy. Now, my family isn't very educated on herpes. My mom was said, "She didn't have sex during a flare up, so her boyfriend doesn't have it." Um, yea, he most likely does mom. Anyway, now we're concerned for the baby. I think that it will have herpes or at least cause complications. We're going to do searches on this topic and get all the medical jargon, but what I'm asking is this: Has anyone known anyone who had herpes while pregnant? If so, what was it like for them? I just want some personal experiences instead of case studies and medical talk for now. That way I know that people have, or have not, had success in this issue. __________________ Whatever did happen to your soul? I heard you sold it Choose Heaven for the weather and Hell for the company

06-24-2006, 07:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
CaliLivChick In Transition Location: Sanford, FL (between Daytona and Orlando)	I don't have any personal experience with it, but my ex-boyfriend's now-wife (I was the last relationship he had before he met her) has it, and they have two kids. He called me when he found out he had it... he needed someone to talk to. I don't believe she had a lot of problems with her pregnancy, and the kids appear to be okay. However, from what I've heard, if she has the baby vaginally, she can pass the herpes on to the baby that way. Her doctor will probably suggest having a C-section, and even if he doesn't suggest it, I would suggest to her that she talk to her doctor more about it, do some more research, get a second opinion, and possibly insist on having a C-section anyway. Good luck to your cousin. __________________ Don't trust anything that can bleed for a week and not die. Oh wait, that's me... nevermind... you can trust me.

07-23-2006, 01:16 PM	#8 (permalink)
Freewoman Upright	OK, so this is a late post and I don't know if anyone will read it, but I'm 49 years old and have lived with herpes for 30 years now, have given birth twice (vaginally) to two healthy babies and I'd like to put in my two cents' worth. I have to wonder why everyone in that girl's family has to know that she has herpes, in addition to everything else she is going through. IT'S A COLD SORE PEOPLE! It just happens to affect the naughty bits, which makes it extra inconvenient and sometimes miserable to go about one's daily life when dealing with an outbreak, but at least it's not visible like the kind on one's lip which thankfully, I DON'T have. Pregnant women are bombarded with worst case scenarios even when they don't have a risk factor like herpes. The odds of her child dying like the one described are probably less than the odds of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester, given suppressive therapy and careful monitoring by her ob/gyn. Please, a little less hysteria and a little more positive attitude. Many, many women have had uneventful pregnancies and healthy babies while living with the herpes virus. There is, however, a documented relationship between stress level and frequency of outbreaks. The mother-to-be needs loving support as her due-date approaches, not horror stories and veiled criticism. whew! I feel better now... __________________ thanks, I practice a lot when I'm alone...

07-23-2006, 03:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
shesus Fancy Location: Chicago	Sorry I haven't posted back to this thread, but I have no more up-dates about it. My family is now not talking about it with me because I'm no longer in town. But thank you for all the information, I did pass it along. Freewoman, I think that with her situation it is a bit more of an issue. She's 18 and is now pregnant and we know how she is past and present. So it is a problem for the family because she has a tendency to get the family involved in all her craziness. Also, since my grandmother and her mother will most likely be taking care of this child, they have things at stake when it comes to the baby's health. I know that mistakes happen and you can't prevent everything, but you can take precautions, which she chose not to do. I'm not saying she is a horrible person, she's family and we love her, but she came to us with these problems. So I would like to help out as much as I can to prevent further complications with her health or the baby's well being. I would prefer not to be involved, but that is pretty much impossible in this case. __________________ Whatever did happen to your soul? I heard you sold it Choose Heaven for the weather and Hell for the company

07-24-2006, 05:20 AM	#10 (permalink)
raeanna74 I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot! Location: Upper Michigan	A planned C-section delivery would not be all that difficult. You get plenty of pain meds and until a few days later you hardly feel the cut. And my scar is practically invisible 6 years later. By all the recommendations you hear with regards to a c-section being preferred in this type of situation - my advice would be for her to go with a c-section even if she's given an option. It's much safer for the baby and not really much harder, especially if it's planned for. She can sortof pick the birth date. No all nighter labor. __________________ "Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

06-24-2006, 07:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
cellophanedeity Heliotrope Location: A warm room	Herpes can be transmitted to newborns, but it's not hugely common. This website can help quite a bit. I've only posted a small section of the text. http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pre...s/1360877.html "In rare cases, a mom-to-be will transfer the infection through the placenta to her baby if she gets genital herpes for the first time during pregnancy and has never had oral or genital herpes before (this is called a primary infection). If this happens, it can cause serious birth defects. A few studies have found that a primary infection during the first trimester can increase the risk of miscarriage, but other studies found no connection. If you have a primary infection during your second or third trimester you may be at increased risk for preterm delivery."

06-24-2006, 10:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
cookmo Insane Location: Ohio	My cousin was pregnant with herpes, and they pretty much tould her that she had to have a c-section. She did, and the baby was fine. Good luck!

06-24-2006, 12:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
mixedmedia has all her shots. Location: Florida	Like several folks have mentioned before, she will probably be advised to have a c-section, especially if she has an outbreak close to her due date. And with the extra stress put on her body during pregnancy, she most likely will have more frequent outbreaks. And she should listen to that advice. Passing herpes on to a baby is very serious, especially if it infects the eyes.

07-24-2006, 08:18 AM	#11 (permalink)
pornclerk Insane Location: Ontario, Canada	First of all, it seems as though your mom needs some sex education. Herpes can spread even if you aren't having a flare up. I would highly recommend talking to a doctor about this. They will give you the answers and let you know what your options are. I wouldn't trust that the research I have done about it is completely accurate. It's best to ask the expert. __________________ Who wants a twig when you can have the whole tree?