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herpes and Pregnancy
I was recently diagnosed with HSV 1 and 2 via a blood test. I was getting some pimples on my buttocks and pubic area that weren't going away. The dermatologist said that it was Pseudofolliculitis but I insisted on a type specific HSV test after reading that you could have herpes and not know it. A part of me is sorry that I did. After being diagnosed a couple of weeks ago I have been inspecting my skin daily to see if there are any lesions. I have never noticed anything before I had this test. A couple of days ago I noticed what looked like a rash under my arm, in the armpit area. I went to the doctor and He did a PCR culture for Herpes. After looking at it he said if it was in my groin area he would be 50/50 on it being herpes, but since it was on my armpit he doubted it would be herpes. Still waiting for the results.
My question is if it is herpes, would it be 1 or 2?
How would I get it on my armpit?
I think my wife who is 18 weeks pregnant may have touched it for a second. Could she get herpes from this? I don't know her status.
I have been reading a lot about neonatal herpes and the devastating effect it could have on the baby, especially if she gets herpes during pregnancy. All the articles I have read say Genital Herpes HSV 1 or 2. What about herpes on the mouth? If I kiss my wife and she gets herpes could it be the same horrible effect as acquiring it genitally? I have read that it can pass to the baby through the placenta, Does this mean HSV 1 acquired from a kiss? We have not had sex while she is pregnant.
I have not had the courage to tell my wife about my diagnosis. I know I have to and she has to be tested as well, but I just can't seem to be able to tell her. Even though I probably got this before we got together it's just a difficult thing to say but I will.
Thank you in advance for any help.
My question is if it is herpes, would it be 1 or 2?
How would I get it on my armpit?
I think my wife who is 18 weeks pregnant may have touched it for a second. Could she get herpes from this? I don't know her status.
I have been reading a lot about neonatal herpes and the devastating effect it could have on the baby, especially if she gets herpes during pregnancy. All the articles I have read say Genital Herpes HSV 1 or 2. What about herpes on the mouth? If I kiss my wife and she gets herpes could it be the same horrible effect as acquiring it genitally? I have read that it can pass to the baby through the placenta, Does this mean HSV 1 acquired from a kiss? We have not had sex while she is pregnant.
I have not had the courage to tell my wife about my diagnosis. I know I have to and she has to be tested as well, but I just can't seem to be able to tell her. Even though I probably got this before we got together it's just a difficult thing to say but I will.
Thank you in advance for any help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
And by the way, you can tell your wife the situation without (yet) coming clean on your extramarital adventures. You had the HSV blood test at your doctor's suggestion, and it's very common for HSV-2 to first be diagnosed in a monogamous couple, without other partners recently. You could have been carrying HSV-2 for a long time (which is much more likely than a new infection anyway); and if your test is positive, it's a good bet your wife will also have it. Nothing at all need be said about your non-marital exposures.
That said, a wife's pregnancy is a bad time for having outside partners. I strongly suggest you resist those temptations until after the baby is born.
That said, a wife's pregnancy is a bad time for having outside partners. I strongly suggest you resist those temptations until after the baby is born.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Half the population has HSV-1 and almost all those people regularly kiss their loved ones, and yet HSV-1 is rarely transmitted unless herpes sores (cold sores, fever blisters) are present.
That said, it is important your wife not catch a new genital HSV infection during pregnancy, especially if she is beyond 5-6 months. An oral infection also should be avoided, but not because of significant risk to the baby. Because pregnancy is naturally accompanied by immune deficiency, an initial oral infection could be particularly severe. Therefore, until your test results are sorted out by the WB test, I suggest you avoid all sex with your wife, i.e. no sexual kissing and no vaginal, anal, or oral sex. (But a peck on the mouth carries little or no risk as long as you're not having an obvious outbreak.)
Your wife definitely needs to know the situation, because she has to inform her obstetrician that you have HSV-1 and possibly HSV-2. The Ob will then know how to minimize the chance of infecting the baby. This will include testing your wife for both HSV-1 and 2. Her test results plus your own final result (after your WB test) will dictate what sorts of personal contact are OK as the delivery date approaches.
If the pregnancy is still early, i.e. before 5 months, it would be OK to wait for your WB test before telling your wife or the Ob. If she's in the last 3-4 months of pregnancy, however, you shouldn't wait.
That said, it is important your wife not catch a new genital HSV infection during pregnancy, especially if she is beyond 5-6 months. An oral infection also should be avoided, but not because of significant risk to the baby. Because pregnancy is naturally accompanied by immune deficiency, an initial oral infection could be particularly severe. Therefore, until your test results are sorted out by the WB test, I suggest you avoid all sex with your wife, i.e. no sexual kissing and no vaginal, anal, or oral sex. (But a peck on the mouth carries little or no risk as long as you're not having an obvious outbreak.)
Your wife definitely needs to know the situation, because she has to inform her obstetrician that you have HSV-1 and possibly HSV-2. The Ob will then know how to minimize the chance of infecting the baby. This will include testing your wife for both HSV-1 and 2. Her test results plus your own final result (after your WB test) will dictate what sorts of personal contact are OK as the delivery date approaches.
If the pregnancy is still early, i.e. before 5 months, it would be OK to wait for your WB test before telling your wife or the Ob. If she's in the last 3-4 months of pregnancy, however, you shouldn't wait.
Thank you Dr, I will get the WB asap. May I ask one more question before then? Am I putting my Wife or unborn child at any risk by just kissing my wife? Peck on the lips. I don't remember ever having a cold soar, but I have read about shedding. If she doesn't have HSV1 can this pose any risk during pregnancy?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You have HSV-1 for sure, but so does half the population. Your HSV-2 result is technically positive, but in a range that is often false, especially in people with HSV-1. On average, somewhere around 60-70% of people with HSV-2 results in this numerical range are infected. So there's a pretty good chance you indeed have HSV-2, but not necessarily.
You should have an HSV Western blot test, the ultimate confirmatory test for HSV. It is done at the University of Washington clinical laboratory (where the HSV WB was developed and where much of the research on HSV test interpretation has been done); your doctor's office and/or the lab they use will know how to send a specimen to the UW lab in Seattle.
If your HSV-2 test is confirmed positive, we can then discuss when and where you might have been infected. But it wasn't necssarily during your extramarital exposure last March. And whether positive or negative, I doubt herpes explains the skin lesions you described above.
If you follow through with the WB, let me know the result and we'll take it from there.
You should have an HSV Western blot test, the ultimate confirmatory test for HSV. It is done at the University of Washington clinical laboratory (where the HSV WB was developed and where much of the research on HSV test interpretation has been done); your doctor's office and/or the lab they use will know how to send a specimen to the UW lab in Seattle.
If your HSV-2 test is confirmed positive, we can then discuss when and where you might have been infected. But it wasn't necssarily during your extramarital exposure last March. And whether positive or negative, I doubt herpes explains the skin lesions you described above.
If you follow through with the WB, let me know the result and we'll take it from there.
Thank you for your response Dr. Handsfield
I just received my test information.
HerpSelect
HSV1- 1.51
HSV2- 2.73
Regrettably I did have extramarital sexual encounter in March and April of this year. A condom was was used for both oral and vaginal sex with a CSW. In early September A woman used her tongue on my nipples and pubic area before I stopped her and ended the encounter. Other then that I have been with only my wife for 13 years.
I just received my test information.
HerpSelect
HSV1- 1.51
HSV2- 2.73
Regrettably I did have extramarital sexual encounter in March and April of this year. A condom was was used for both oral and vaginal sex with a CSW. In early September A woman used her tongue on my nipples and pubic area before I stopped her and ended the encounter. Other then that I have been with only my wife for 13 years.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum.
Most likely the HSV-1 positve test is accurate, which most likely reflects oral infection, perhaps going back to childhood (with or without symptoms of cold sores). However, I need more information to determine whether or not you really have HSV-2, specifically more detail about your positive blood test. Many apparently positive HSV-2 results are false, especially in people with HSV-1. Speak with your doctor's office or the lab where the test was done and find out what brand of test they use and your numerical results for both HSV-1 and 2.
Based on your description, it seems unlikely your genital symptoms are due to herpes at all. It is likely your HSV-1 and/or HSV-2 is asymptomatic, plus folliculitis or other cause of the genital area ourbraks. Herpes rarely causes pimples scattered around the buttocks. However, if your genital lesions indeed are herpes, HSV-2 is more likely than HSV-1.
Was there any other suspicion you might have genital herpes, other than the buttock pimples? Genital lesions? History of a past partner with genital herpes? An extramarital sexual encounter?
You are right to be concerned about your wife and the potential that she could become infected during pregnancy. Until this is sorted out more clearly, I suggest you continue to avoid vaginal or anal intercourse and do not perform oral sex on her. But to avoid unnecessary anxiety, I also suggest you not discuss it with her until we have sorted out your blood test results and whether you have genital herpes. She indeed will require testing, but your results will sort this out more clearly.
I'll have more to say when you provide the detailed blood test information, exposure history, etc.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Most likely the HSV-1 positve test is accurate, which most likely reflects oral infection, perhaps going back to childhood (with or without symptoms of cold sores). However, I need more information to determine whether or not you really have HSV-2, specifically more detail about your positive blood test. Many apparently positive HSV-2 results are false, especially in people with HSV-1. Speak with your doctor's office or the lab where the test was done and find out what brand of test they use and your numerical results for both HSV-1 and 2.
Based on your description, it seems unlikely your genital symptoms are due to herpes at all. It is likely your HSV-1 and/or HSV-2 is asymptomatic, plus folliculitis or other cause of the genital area ourbraks. Herpes rarely causes pimples scattered around the buttocks. However, if your genital lesions indeed are herpes, HSV-2 is more likely than HSV-1.
Was there any other suspicion you might have genital herpes, other than the buttock pimples? Genital lesions? History of a past partner with genital herpes? An extramarital sexual encounter?
You are right to be concerned about your wife and the potential that she could become infected during pregnancy. Until this is sorted out more clearly, I suggest you continue to avoid vaginal or anal intercourse and do not perform oral sex on her. But to avoid unnecessary anxiety, I also suggest you not discuss it with her until we have sorted out your blood test results and whether you have genital herpes. She indeed will require testing, but your results will sort this out more clearly.
I'll have more to say when you provide the detailed blood test information, exposure history, etc.
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
