Is It Safe For A Mother To Breastfeed If She Has Active Herpetic Lesions
Maybe. Women with herpetic lesions may transmit HSV to their infants by direct or indirect contact with the lesions. Breastfeeding is acceptable if no lesions are present on the breasts and if active lesions elsewhere on the mother are carefully and fully covered. In cases where a mother has herpetic lesions on her breast, the mother should temporarily refrain from breastfeeding her infant from the affected breast or feeding her infant expressed breast milk from the affected breast. She should discard expressed breast milk from the affected side until the lesions have healed. A mother may breastfeed her infant or express milk from the unaffected breast but should ensure that the lesions on the affected breast are completely covered to avoid transmission. Mothers should also follow appropriate hand hygiene practices to avoid transmission of herpes to her infant.
Providers: Lesions on the breast could easily be mistaken for impetigo or eczema. Questionable lesions should be tested promptly for HSV so that if positive, acyclovir can be administered quickly and breastfeeding can be discontinued until the lesion has healed.
Some mothers may need additional support to maintain their milk production and/or supplement with their expressed human milk or formula while herpetic lesions on the breast are healing. Mothers should talk with their physicians to determine if their lesions have healed and they can resume breastfeeding or expressing milk from the affected breast.
Reassurances About Genital Herpes During Pregnancy And Birth
As an expectant parent eagerly awaiting the birth of your new baby, you are probably taking a number of steps to ensure your babys health. One step many experts recommend is that you become informed about herpes simplex virus . This common virus is usually a mild infection in adults. But in infants, HSV can cause a rare, but serious, illness.
What Happens If I Dont Get Treated
Genital herpes can cause painful genital sores and can be severe in people with suppressed immune systems.
If you touch your sores or the fluids from the sores, you may transfer herpes to another part of your body, such as your eyes. Do not touch the sores or fluids to avoid spreading herpes to another part of your body. If you do touch the sores or fluids, immediately wash your hands thoroughly to help avoid spreading your infection.
If you are pregnant, there can be problems for you and your developing fetus, or newborn baby. See Im pregnant. How could genital herpes affect my baby? above for information about this.
You May Like: Why Is My Herpes Flaring Up
How Is Herpes Treated In Pregnancy
Its not clear whether all antiviral medications for genital herpes are safe during pregnancy, so follow your doctors lead when it comes to treatment.
Herpes symptoms may be managed with antivirals and during an outbreak, and they may reduce the length and severity of it. Daily medication, which is called suppressive therapy, can also reduce the number of outbreaks you experience.
Genital Herpes Treatment During Pregnancy
Women taking antiviral drugs for herpes — either daily suppressive therapy or occasional therapy for outbreaks — should consult their doctor about whether to take the drugs during pregnancy. The answer is not set in stone: You and your doctor have to discuss the risks and benefits to decide what’s right for you.
For pregnant women with a history of genital herpes, the doctor might recommend daily doses of an antiviral medication during the month before their due date.;;
Herpes infection in a newborn is also serious. Do not allow anyone with a cold sore on the mouth to kiss the baby. If you have a cold sore, don’t kiss the baby, and wash hands with soap and water before touching the baby.
Don’t Miss: How Do You Test For Genital Herpes
Is It Safe To Breastfeed If I Have Genital Herpes
Yes- as long as there is no open lesion on chest or breast . If you have an active outbreak while breastfeeding, its possible to spread the infection to your nipples through touch. Careful hand-washing can prevent this spread. You shouldnt nurse from a breast that has herpes sores. You can pump breast milk until the sores heal. Dont give your baby expressed breast milk if the pump comes into contact with an open sore.
Viral Shedding Without An Outbreak
A large 2011 study, published in JAMA, investigated how often people with asymptomatic herpes infections shed the virus and how much virus they shed.
The researchers found that people with asymptomatic genital HSV-2 shed detectable levels of virus 10% of the time. That’s about half as often as people with symptomatic infections. However, the amount of virus they shed was similar.
Other studies showed that pregnant women with a history of recurrent genital herpes infections have a 1.4% rate of shedding at the time of delivery.
Also Check: How Do I Get Rid Of Herpes On My Lip
What Happens If I Get Cold Sores Or Genital Herpes During Pregnancy
Having the HSV virus does not affect your chance of becoming pregnant.
It is quite common for women to have a cold sore during their pregnancy, even if they havent had one for a long time. Cold sores should not affect your unborn baby. But they are infectious, so its a good idea to treat them.
Genital herpes should not affect the baby if you have your first outbreak or it comes back in the first 34 weeks. But it can be transferred to your baby during the birth, especially if its your first outbreak.
If you’ve ever had a cold sore or genital herpes and you become pregnant, or you develop these conditions during pregnancy, it’s important to tell your doctor or midwife about it. Together you can make a plan for managing herpes during pregnancy and birth.
What About Pregnant Women Who Have A History Of Genital Herpes
Women who acquire genital herpes before they become pregnant have a very low risk of transmitting the virus to their babies. This is because their immune system makes antibodies that are passed to the baby through the placenta. Even if HSV is active in the birth canal during delivery, the antibodies help protect the baby from contracting HSV . In addition, if a mother knows she has genital herpes, her doctor can take steps to protect the baby.
You May Like: How To Reduce Herpes Outbreaks
How To Treat Herpes In Infants
Just knowing the answer to “Can you be born with herpes” is not enough. Since it is possible, you should know how it is treated. The usual treatment given is IV acyclovir. This is the most likely drug that will be used in an infant with herpes. The baby may need to take the medication for several weeks before they are healed.
You can also treat the side effects of neonatal herpes, such as seizures and shock. These babies are very sick and need to be treated in a neonatal intensive care unit. Babies who have systemic herpes may not get better with treatment and can have more health risks as a result. If they get disseminated herpes, they may develop a coma, neurologic complications or even death.
While birth-acquired herpes may be able to be treated, the virus is never completely eradicated from the body. The herpes virus will remain in the babys body for the rest of their lives but will lie dormant in many situations. If the immune system becomes suppressed, the baby may become re-infected and will develop complications, such as blindness, seizures, encephalitis, respiratory infections, and inflammation of the eye.
Herpes Testing During Pregnancy
Of course, knowing whether or not your birth plan should be reassessed depends on knowing you indeed have genital herpes.
Doctors can certainly test for viral DNA during pregnancy. Still, there is some question about how useful these tests are, particularly when they’re done more than a few days before birth.
As well, an increasing percentage of genital herpes cases are due to herpes simplex virus 1 , and testing for it would not distinguish between the site of an outbreak .
The American Academy of Family Physicians , American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists ,;and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; do not recommend routine serologic screening for genital herpes simplex virus infection in those who are pregnant.
You May Like: Is Herpes And Cold Sores The Same Thing
Managing Genital Herpes During Pregnancy
If youre pregnant and you have genital herpes, you may be concerned about the risk of spreading the infection to your baby. Be reassured that the risk is extremely smallespecially if you have had herpes for some time. The following steps can help make the risk even smaller:
Remember, the odds are strongly in favor of your having a healthy baby.
Treatment Of Herpes In Pregnancy
The recommendation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is to treat all primary outbreaks of genital herpes with antiviral medications, including primary outbreaks in pregnant women.
Acyclovir has the most data on the safety of use in pregnancy. A registry of over 1000 pregnant women who were exposed to acyclovir during early pregnancy suggests that acyclovir is most likely safe, as there were no increases in birth defects.
Most women who have a current outbreak of genital herpes, primary or recurrent, are usually advised to have a cesarean section to reduce the exposure of the infant to the herpes simplex virus. However, women with known herpes exposure usually take an antiviral medication in the third trimester to prevent outbreaksâand are able to safely deliver vaginally.
Read Also: Is Genital Herpes An Autoimmune Disease
Can You Pass A Std To A Baby
Other STIs, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, and genital herpes, can pass from the mother to the baby as the baby passes through the birth canal. HIV can cross the placenta during pregnancy and infect the baby during delivery. Q: What are the harmful effects of passing an STI to a baby? A:
How Will My Doctor Know If I Have Herpes
Your healthcare provider may diagnose genital herpes by simply looking at your symptoms. Providers can also take a sample from the sore and test it. In certain situations, a blood test may be used to look for herpes antibodies. Have an honest and open talk with your health care provider and ask whether you should be tested for herpes or other STDs.
Please note: A herpes blood test can help determine if you have herpes infection. It cannot tell you who gave you the infection or how long you have been infected.
Recommended Reading: What Medication Is Used To Treat Herpes
Can You Get Valtrex While Breastfeeding
Valtrex for Herpes OK While Breastfeeding. Genital herpes, caused by the herpes simplex virus, is very common in the U.S. Currently, about one in every five people has the disease and this number continues to grow, according to the study researchers. There is no cure for genital herpes. Once someone is infected, the virus lives in the body forever.
How Does Genital Herpes Affect Pregnancy
Genital herpes doesnt affect fertility or your ability to conceive. Pregnant women with a diagnosis of herpes genitalis are recommended to start a daily antiviral at 36 weeks of pregnancy to prevent outbreaks during time of delivery. If you have an active infection at the time of childbirth, you can pass the herpes virus to your baby. Neonatal herpes puts a baby at risk for blindness, brain damage, skin infections and death. Your healthcare provider will perform a cesarean section to lower this risk.
Don’t Miss: Does L Lysine Help Genital Herpes
What If I Have A Cold Sore While Breastfeeding
If you have cold sores, it is safe to breastfeed your baby as long as the cold sores are not on the breast or nipple.
If they are, it may be wise to breastfeed from the unaffected nipple only until the lesions have cleared up. You would express and dispose of breastmilk from the affected nipple. Breastmilk itself doesn’t contain the herpes virus but it can be contaminated through the skin lesions.
Talk to your doctor or midwife as soon as you notice any cold sores on your breast or nipple.
Why You Should Go To A Sexual Health Clinic
You can see a GP, but they’ll probably refer you to a sexual health clinic if they think you might have genital herpes.
Sexual health clinics treat problems with the genitals and urine system.
Many sexual health clinics offer a walk-in service, where you do not need an appointment.
They’ll often get test results quicker than GP practices and you do not have to pay a prescription fee for treatment.
Don’t Miss: Can Herpes Cause Cervical Cancer
Precautions For Pregnant Women Without Herpes
While any woman who has never had herpes should be cautious about having sex with someone who might have herpes, pregnant women should take extra precautions in their third trimester. These guidelines include avoiding intercourse and oral sex with partners who have, or you suspect have, genital herpes.
If you’re uncertain if you’ve been exposed to herpes, consider asking your obstetrician about HSV antibody testing to be sure.
Clinical Features Of Maternal Hsv Infections
Primary or first-episode HSV genital infections in pregnant and nonpregnant women are commonly asymptomatic, but they can also present with lesions on the vulva, labia, vaginal introitus, or cervix. Symptomatic cutaneous lesions typically present as painful erythematous papules that quickly progress to the characteristic vesicular lesions filled with clear fluid, often appearing in a cluster. These fragile vesicles typically burst, but if they do not, an influx of inflammatory cells may cause the lesions to develop into pustules. After rupturing, each lesion will appear as a shallow ulcer on an erythematous base. Mucosal lesions typically have no vesicles and progress straight to ulcerations. These painful ulcers are usually gray/white, approximately 13mm in diameter, and crust over as they begin to heal. The total process can last as little as 810days or as long as 21days. A more severe illness with systemic involvement can also occur during primary or first-episode HSV infections, but this is rare in immunocompetent hosts.
Viral reactivation from latency may be symptomatic or asymptomatic, both of which result in viral shedding. Regardless of the reported history of HSV infection, up to 0.4% of pregnant women will shed HSV from the genital tract during the time of delivery . Among pregnant women with a history of recurrent genital HSV infections, the rate of shedding has been reported to be as high as 1.4% .
Recommended Reading: Can You Test Yourself For Herpes
Childbirth With Genital Herpes You Can Have A Normal Delivery With Genital Herpes
If you have caught genital herpes before becoming pregnant you can expect to give birth normally . This is stated in the 2014 Guidelines for herpes simplex and childbirth from the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology together with the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV.;
If you wish, you can take aciclovir 400 mg three times daily from 36 weeks on, to ensure you dont have an outbreak during the birth.
Why it is OK to have a normal delivery even when there is an outbreak of herpes?
Towards the end of pregnancy, babies in the womb receive antibodies to all the infections that their mothers have previously caught. These antibodies protect the baby from catching these viruses during childbirth and afterwards, longer when the mother breast feeds. After that, this protection fades away.
Common sense tells us: since humans began, women with cold sores have kissed their new babies repeatedly. No one worries that their babies will catch herpes and be affected. The baby of a woman with a genital infection might briefly touch the cold sore on her genitals on its way into the world once. See Neonatal herpes in the section below for when babies can have a problem,
How Is Genital Herpes Diagnosed
To find out if someone has genital herpes, health care providers do tests on:
- fluid from a sore
- blood
People with genital herpes need to tell recent, current, and future sex partners about their infection. Because someone may never have symptoms or may not have symptoms for months to years after infection, a current partner may not be the source of the infection.
Also Check: Can You Pass Herpes When Not Having An Outbreak
How Many Babies Get Neonatal Herpes
Less than 0.1% of babies born in the United States each year get neonatal-herpes. The limited information from Australasia suggests the incidence is even lower in Australia and New Zealand . By contrast, some 25-30% of pregnant women have genital herpes. This means that the great majority of women with genital herpes give birth to healthy happy babies.
Prognosis Of Hsv Infection In Newborns
If herpes infection of the newborn is not treated, it usually progresses to severe problems. About 85% of babies with untreated widespread herpes infection die. About 50% of newborns with untreated brain infection die. Death is not common among newborns whose infection is limited to the skin, eyes, or mouth. Without treatment, at least 65% of survivors of widespread disease or brain infection have severe neurologic problems.
Appropriate treatment with antiviral drugs decreases the death rate and significantly increases the likelihood of normal development.
You May Like: What Happens If Genital Herpes Is Left Untreated
What Is The Treatment For Hsv
- Cold sores in children and adults don’t need to be treated. Creams with anti-HSV medicine can treat cold sore symptoms, if necessary.
- Newborns with HSV require hospitalization for intravenous antiviral medication for 21 days. Even with this treatment, some newborns can suffer death or brain damage from HSV infection.