How Will My Herpes Affect My Partner's Pregnancy?
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
I have a question for you. I have herpes and my girlfriend doesn't. We want to get married and have a baby. Would this cause a miscarriage or effect our chances? If so what can be done so we can have a healthy baby?
ANSWER
Herpes does not generally cause miscarriage. The risk comes if your partner gets infected (especially during pregnancy) and doesn't get medication at the end of her pregnancy. Then, she might pass the infection to the baby during delivery. Babies do not handle the infection well at all. But as long as she takes the medication, the chances there would be a problem are small.
-- Cynthia, CNM
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
