If your partner is pregnant, (and you know you have oral or genital herpes), but she does not, you have a key role in protecting your unborn child from neonatal herpes. This is because the risk is greatest for your baby if the woman contracts the herpes virus during the pregnancy. It is important to take precautions to prevent her from becoming infected during the pregnancy.
These may include:
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Refraining from having sex when you have an active outbreak. |
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Avoiding giving her oral sex if you have a cold sore. |
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Using condoms for intercourse or a genital dam for oral sex when you do have an outbreak. |
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Possibly choosing to abstain from intercourse during the last three months of the pregnancy. You may wish to explore other alternatives for sexual expression. |
While these may be difficult to adhere to, limiting your sexual activity in these ways for a few months can be very instrumental in preventing your baby from contracting neonatal herpes. Communicating and negotiating what is acceptable to you both can help you come to an arrangement that you are comfortable with.
Information sources
www.herpes.com
Genital Herpes, 1993, Sydney Sexual Health Centre.
Brocklehurst P; Kinghorn G; Carney O; Helsen K; Ross E; Ellis E; Shen R; Cowan F; Mindel A, 1998, randomised placebo controlled trial of suppressive acyclovir in late pregnancy in women with recurrent genital herpes infection. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, March.