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Herpes and Pregnancy

30 yr old female with a healthy 7 y old male child (CS delivery), planning for a second one, with previous recurrent attacks of Herpes, presently no signs and symptoms, with single partner, abstinent for 6 mnths, partner having no visible signs so far, has been diagnosed equivocal twice within a month recently, what are the possiblilities of recurrent episodes with unprotected sex and what is the outcome and risk factors involved?
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Avatar universal
As usual you are a star!!! Thanks for those tips, and I hope I will not trouble you for sometime atleast. Nice talking to you. And keep going with this service and continue helping people who have become half mad as me on such issues. Your service is appreciated!!!
Bye for now!!!
See ya later...............
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
You and hubby have fun :D

You might want to see if you can find a different lube than KY too.  Also if it seems to dry out during sex - just spritz some water on the area to reactivate it.

grace
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Avatar universal
Hi Grace
I have never taken any pills so far, neither had I any infections in my recent tests and now I feel is not the time to worry about that issue immensely. And it is not always dry too. At times it is normal also.
As u said it right, it definitely is not any fun being female when you are not even able to decide on your own whether you can go about having a kid in your life. I never ever thought that this can be so complicated.
Wish me all the best for my present task!!!
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
It could be even that you have dryness in your genital skin that needs more than just KY to take care of.  Even though you are still young - birth control pills and hormonal issues can cause dryness.  Does your skin seem to tear easily down yonder? Also have they tested you for yeast and bacterial infections?  

Sometimes it just isn't any fun being female is it?

grace
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Grace
Thanks for all those crystal clear posts.
From your posts, I come to understand that:
1. I can currently go about with my plans, without a second thought.
2. My genital symptoms (i am sure they will show up again if we start with any physical contact unprotected) inspite of returning back in future isn't going to cause any harm to the fetus.
3. We can currently put a fullstop to all those repeat tests that we undergo.
4. Even If didn't go about doing the lesion culture immediately (if at all i get it back) it isn't going to make any big difference.

There are certain things I would make clear too
1. I have that itching around the genitals just before my cycle and a few days later too and not much felt during the cycle and I have never had a chance to discuss about my dyspareunia with my gyn recently though the KY jelly was prescribed only by a gyn long ago.
2. I have plans to go for a planned c-section right from the day I started planning for this.
3. We both are otherwise healthy individuals (but for this problem) with regular exercise and healthy eating habits. The only other problem I have is mild constipation on and off but recently I had undergone sphincterotomy for this after which I am doing fine so far.
4. Please never think that you are prying into our privacy, as you being a consultant have every rights to enquire on the most intimate things as our problem is such. I feel privileged.

Thanks
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
I'm sure things are completely different over there for you :(  

Just itching around your period could be many things.  Do you seem to have it before your period, during or right afterwards?  Depending on the timing it could be hormonal or even a sensitivity to something in the pads/tampons you are using.  They are quite common.  It even could be tied into your recent decline in libido too ( hormonal issues ).  Have you had a chance at all to talk to a gyn about that issue and the pain during sex?  

Just a visual diagnosis of herpes and no testing done and now negative blood work for herpes really points in the direction of something else entirely going on.  I'm honestly not convinced that you even have genital herpes. If you do - it could perhaps be hsv1 genitally which doesn't reoccur very often. Even the best blood tests we have today still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 infections so it could be possible.  As I said - if you get a return of your blisters - you need to be seen within 24-48 hours of their appearance for a lesion culture and typing for herpes as well as a further exam.  

As for pregnancy - if you really do have genital herpes - it's only an issue during delivery since you would've had it prior to becoming pregnant.  The baby is completely safe up until that time.  If you have a planned c section - there's no risk of the baby contracting herpes during delivery.  That's why I said with a planned c section it's not really an issue anyways.  Does that make more sense?

Didn't mean to pry into your personal life - I know there are many professions where one spouse is gone for months and months at a time and just kinda assumed that was perhaps your situation.  

grace
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi grace
Thanks for your reply. As you said, we shall continue in this site itself.
And as you said I was given Acyclovir only based on the assumption and with no tests done.
It is also to be noted that my visible symptoms started around 6 years behind and presently though I do not have visible symptoms, I sometimes have itchy sensations around my monthly cycle time which subsides within a week or so.
Point no. 2: My hub and I, both see each other though we have remained abstinent for the past 6 months (with not any form of sex received by me). If you ask me the reason for this, I would say that this is with a hope that things will subside within this period of time and a couple of other reasons being that 1. loss of libido on my part (with no perceivable reasons), 2. painful intercourse (inspite of trying KY jelly, I presumed that this is due to me being fetish).
Now that I stay at home full time with no career in hand to run around, I thought why not engage myself into this.
But now my question is do you mean to say that we can go ahead with our plans of trying for another child even without any further blood tests and doesn't it really matter even if I end up having the same old blisters again on taking up unprotected sex? (Our frequency of having sex has shown a declining chart for the past 2 years and we have always engaged in safe sex whenever we had).
I presently live in a place where women are not that liberal to move around (I have to depend on my hub for whatever I do, for eg. going out to consult a doc). Moreover there are very few people who are expertised in various specialties. So basically I am not so convinced with the kind of medical attention here.
Once in a year we go to our home country to consult for all our medical problems and last time it was for a different purpose. The next time we visit, I think will be too late for me to do.
Response awaited, Thx once again.

Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
Since we started it here - we'll just continue here - how's that sound?I know it gets confusing when folks have different names on different boards!!!

Yes I do have expertise in the field of herpes.  ASHA wouldn't allow me to moderate on their board if I didn't :)

so in the past you've had genital symptoms that were visually diagnosed as being genital herpes but no testing done? Now your blood tests aren't showing signs of either hsv1 or hsv2.

there was no reason for them to start your hubby on acyclovir either. he's negative and your tests are negative too.  I think they just erred on the side of caution with that one because they don't truly understand the tests they are ordering :(  

At this point - I wouldn' t pursue any further blood tests. Should you get a return of your genital symptoms that were previously diagnosed as being due to herpes - see a doctor within 24-48 hours of their appearance for a lesion culture and typing as well as a full work up to try to figure out what is going on.  

I take it you don't get the opportunity to see your husband very often that your window of opportunity for pregnancy is pretty small?  :(    even if you do have genital herpes - if you are planning on a repeat c section anyways - it's not really an issue for the pregnancy part of all this.  

Feel free to keep asking any questions you have - hopefully we can get to the bottom of all this soon for you!

grace
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Avatar universal
Hi Grace
Sorry to have bothered you on both the sites. In the process of seeking advice from experts I have as well posted my question on the other site. Hope you understand my anxiety on this issue. My family situation is such that I can plan for another, only for a few months from now. after which I will have to drop the idea.
Just answer this one question of mine in this site after which I will choose the other one to communicate with you further.
I seek apology for asking you the same question over and over again. Are you having an expertise in this field? It was just a clarification seeked and is not in anyway going to affect our communication on my queries.
Thank you very much for all your responses. I feel very relaxed talking to you.
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
You also asked this question over on asha's herpes board too right?  If you don't mind - just pick one of the boards and I'll keep answering it on that one. I'm the same person as over there even if the name is different ;)

grace
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Avatar universal
My partner's test came equivocal (same as before) this time too and he has been advised for the next test after 14 days and has been given Acyclovir too. I am really getting impatient on this.
So far none of the clinicians we visited has given a positive response for what we seek now. I am really getting frustrated out of this and am little afraid to go out loose on this.
What is your opinion on this? By the way may i take the liberty to know whether you are an expert in this field?
Thank You very much for all those prompt responses. Awaiting some encouraging words from you, be it positive or negative!!!!
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
equivocal is still negative.  You might have hsv1 in your relationship - even the best herpes blood tests we have now still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 results but if you do - it's most likely oral hsv1 and not an issue during prgnancy anyways.

Both of you are negative for hsv2. This is not an issue for you. Sorry your providers are clueless about how to read the tests and have put you thru this much worry :(

grace
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
No I have not had a lesion culture,  In Dec 07 We had undergone (1) HSV IgM (ELISA) and (2) HSV2 IgG (ELISA) for which I showed equivocal for (1) and negative for (2) while my husband showed negative for both. When we did a repeat test in the month of January, I show negative for both and my husband shows equivocal for (1) and negative for (2). Now my partner has undergone the test for the third time, results awaited.
Thx for that response, grace
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
How were you originally diagnosed as having genital herpes?  Did you ever have a lesion culture that came back +?

grace
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