hsv1 came back positive... now what?

[helpme1021]

I have so many questions I am not sure where to start. I just tested positive (via iGg and then again via western blot) for hsv1. I had my blood tested for it less than a year ago, and it was negative, but when I got pregnant I was retested and it came back positive for antibodies. My husband was tested shortly afterwards, and his came back negative. This means I got it somehow, and it would have to be limited to orally, but I am at a total loss as to how, considering the only people I kiss or share any food/drink/chapstick/etc with are my kids and my husband. So I guess that brings me to my first question - how can I keep them from getting this? I am reading mixed things like "it's inevitable you'll give it to them" and also "it's very unlikely you'll give it to them", so I don't know which to believe. I've never had an outbreak that I've seen, so now I'm terrified of shedding. I am afraid to kiss them.

My second question is that if I have antibodies, but my husband does not, and I give it to him, is there a chance that I could get it back from him genitally through oral sex? I don't understand the effect of having antibodies and having it be my own virus that would be spreading back to me... or are we destined to avoid oral sex? I am particularly afraid of this right now because I am pregnant, and if I were to have a genital outbreak around the time of labor, I would have to get a c-section, which I am really hoping to avoid.

I've read about antiviral drugs, and it seems like they can help in both of these scenarios, but nothing is going to prevent shedding entirely - is that accurate? Are they safe for me to start taking while pregnant? Will Lysine prevent shedding or is that just for outbreaks?

Thank you in advance.

[gracefromHHP]

oral herpes infection during pregnancy isn't an issue. it's genital herpes infection during pregnancy that is the issue.

[helpme1021]

Thank you Grace... I am worried about possible birth defects if I had contracted it during the 1st trimester and having it pass through my placenta. I have been searching for information about it online but almost all of it focuses on herpes present in the birth canal during labor, but I know there are still risks when contracting it in the 1st trimester. Do you have any recommendations for sources I can look at?

[gracefromHHP]

you've had no genital symptoms to think your hsv1 is genital. it's a non-issue with your pregnancy.

even the best tests ( the WB ) still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 infections. no way to know if you had hsv1 prior to this and it wasn't picked up on on testing or if hubby has it and his isn't being reflected in his testing.  

grace

[helpme1021]

Forgot one.... I originally tested positive for antibodies at 10 weeks pregnant. I read that it takes at least 12 weeks for antibodies to develop, so that means I probably did not contract it while pregnant - is that a safe assumption, or should I have prenatal testing done to make sure I didn't infect the baby?