This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Effect of genital herpes on pregnancy

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Most women with a history of genital herpes will have normal pregnancies and healthy babies.

However the following associations exist:

  • spontaneous abortion - there is a higher early abortion rate, especially if the disease is primary
  • still birth
  • low birth weight
  • premature delivery - when an attack occurs in the last trimester
  • primary infection in the first trimester is teratogenic. The risk is minor however and not an indication for therapeutic abortion.
  • if herpes is present at the cervix, then there is a risk of the baby becoming infected during birth - 50% of babies born to infected mothers are infected

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.