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Avatar universal

herpes and c-section

anyone have herpesv2 and need ac-section?ithink ihave herpes now since my hubby breaks  out  a day  or2 after we have sex.i never had no blisters like him though.what do u all think.i was told can't be tested unless i have blisters.i am 14 wks pregant and heard u need c-section if u have herpes break out at labour time.i am going to tell my obgyn in april
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Avatar universal
With a husband with HSV-2, the odds are at least 50% that you also infected by now, regardless of absence of symptoms.  If so, there is little risk to your baby during delivery.  However, your ObG will need to keep an eye out for lesions of an outbreak when you go into labor; if lesions are present, you'll need a Cesarean section.

By far the biggest risk to your baby would occur if you first acquire HSV-2 during the last few weeks before delivery. If you do, and you deliver vaginally, there is a 30% risk of neonatal herpes, which even with modern therapy is sometimes fatal and often results in lifelong neurodevelopmental disability.  And the initial infection during late pregnancy often is asymptomatic, so you cannot rely on looking for outbreaks.

You have two main options to manage the risk.  First is to have a type-specific blood test for HSV-2.  Although not widely recommended in Canada (and many US STD specialists disagree vigorously with the Canadian public health recommendations), such testing has regulatory approval in Canada and any private provider can order the test.  If not available in any particular local laboratory, the lab can send the blood specimen to a lab that does it.  If your test is positive for HSV-2, the risk to the baby is low; see my first paragraph above.  If it is negative, you and your husband need to take precautions to be 100% certain you don't acquire his HSV-2 infection toward the end of pregnancy.  The 100% sure approach is no vaginal sex in the last 2 months of pregnancy.  If that isn't practical, then condoms are an option, and so is having your husband take suppressive anti-herpes therapy.

The second option, if you don't have the blood test, is follow the recommendations to avoid infection as if your test were negative.  Since many women aren't all that interested in sex late in pregnancy, and since many partners will understand and respect the need to protect the baby, this may be no big deal.  But of course this can vary widely among couples.

Bottom line:  Do not mess around with risks for neonatal herpes. It is a rare outcome, even in situations like yours.  But it is a horrific disease if it happens.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

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Avatar universal
Sorry I tried to help you. I won't make that mistake again.
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by thw way people this isn't my first kid it is my sixth so i been though all the tests for everything else in the past 10yrs.
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Avatar universal
i all ready told my obgyn in feburary about my hubby having herpes.i guess some of u don't understand in canada they don't test u for herpes unless an out break.i am not being rude.i just ask the question on here to see if anyone had to have the c-section because of herpes and to see if they had a choice to go virgially or not if they had no out break.i did alot of research on this.
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Avatar universal
My suggestion is not to wait until April...tell your doctor now. Even via phone call. The sooner the doctor knows your medical history and your husband's, the easier it will be for him/her to properly treat you and your new baby. Don't wait.
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Avatar universal
For the second time.  They do HerpesSelect in Candad.  Go to a GUM clinic if your Dr. will not do the test.

Good luck
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Avatar universal
my hubby has herpes v2 i never said i didn't know if he has them or not.he had them since 2004.here in canada doctors can't test u if u have no blisters to take a sample from the pus in the blister.yes my hubby did have that done last year that is how we know he has v2
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79258 tn?1190630410
If you do have herpes, it isn't weird that you don't have noticeable outbreaks yourself, because most people are either asymptomatic or have such mild outbreaks they don't recognize them. But it does seem odd that your husband would have an outbreak every time you have sex; are you SURE he has herpes? Once you actually have herpes, sex (and yeast infections, hygiene, etc.) do not have any impact on outbreaks.

I really think both you and your partner need to be tested for herpes. Ask your doctor for the HerpeSelect blood test, and if s/he won't test you, I'd go to Planned Parenthood or another doctor entirely. You definitely want to know if you have herpes, because an outbreak during vaginal delivery would be serious. You also want to know if your husband has herpes and you don't, because if that's the case you need to be extra careful so that you don't contract it during the last few weeks of pregnancy.

Check out the STD board for more thoughts and information on herpes.
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Avatar universal
If you are 14 weeks pregnant you should have already had blood tests done for your hCg levels, genetic disorders and STDs.  I'm curious how you can not know if your own husband has herpes?!  Anyway, I had a friend with herpes who had two very healthy babies through vaginal delivery.  Once your doctor knows if and what you have, they will help you through your pregnancy and tell you exactly what you should do and have to do.  Please make sure you get proper medical care while you're pregnant.
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Avatar universal
You will need to have a c-section if you have a breakout during labor. You CAN be tested if you DONT have blistes by blood samples. Herpes Simplex Virus lives in your nerve cells, and in your blood, and when something triggers an infection via rough sex, poor hygeine, sexual contact with an infected parter, yeast infection, etc.
If you dont have sores preasent, but your hubby gets them after sex... That just dosnt sound right. You would KNOW if you had sores preasent, because the sex will irritate it, or you will notice tears or little blisters around your vagina.
Did you have this before you got married or did they just come up?
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