If you have genital herpes and are pregnant you are undoubtedly worried about passing the herpes simplex virus on to your unborn child. Hopefully your doctor has talked to you at length about your options and how herpes will impact your pregnancy.In the event that you have not spoken to your doctor about this there are a few things that you should know:

1. For starters you must talk to your doctor immediately. Testing for certain sexually transmitted diseases and other viruses is common place during a pregnancy. If your doctor has yet to test you or if you contracted herpes after the fact – it is imperative that you disclose this information immediately.

2. You probably know this better than anyone else, but herpes is a virus that is transmitted from skin to skin contact. Your unborn child is at no risk while he or she is in the amniotic fluids.

3. Because herpes is transmitted through the skin, there is a chance that you can pass herpes to your baby during the delivery. If you have a vaginal delivery and also have an outbreak at the same time – you can give it to them at that point. Due to the position of the baby, they can get ocular herpes or oral herpes.

4. It is very easy to avoid passing herpes to your child, your doctor will likely suggest that you deliver via a Cesarean section, this is where they cut open your abdomen and pull the baby out. By avoiding a vaginal delivery you have eliminated the risk of passing herpes through a vaginal birth.

The most important thing for you to do is to be honest with your obstetrician. If you have contracted HSV II during the course of your pregnancy you have to tell them.

If you are sexually intimate with a person who has herpes simplex II, or genital herpes there are a few things that you should know about herpes transmission.

The herpes simplex viruses are transmitted through skin to skin contact. It is not a blood borne virus, it lays dormant in the nervous system, and when it is triggered it rises to the surface. This is known as a herpes outbreak. Genital herpes outbreaks can look like anything from puss filled sores, to small open wounds. They can occur inside the vagina, on the scrotum, pelvis, the inner thigh, buttocks or lower back. Herpes sores can be big enough to see visibly, but they can also be be small as a pin point and barely noticeable to the human eye.

Now that you understand what a genital herpes outbreak is and the ways it can appear – you should realize that the answer to your question is simply yes – you can still get herpes even if you wear a condom and the person has no visible signs of an outbreak.

If you are in a relationship with a person who has genital herpes and are considering being sexually intimate with them, it is important for you to have a honest discussion about what types of medications they take. While condoms can reduce your risk, it is not a fool proof method of prevention. In order to protect yourself, your partner should commit
to taking daily suppressive therapy like Valtrex. Studies have shown that using condoms combined with daily suppressive therapy will reduce your risk to under two to five percent.

There are two primary forms of the herpes simplex virus, herpes type I and herpes type II. Herpes simplex type I occurs primarily in and around the mouth and is more commonly referred to as oral herpes or cold sores. Herpes simplex type II, or genital herpes – occurs primarily below the waist line. Although it is called genital herpes, it is not restricted to just the genital area, but literally anywhere below the waist. This can include your lower back, pelvis, inner thighs and buttocks.

When a person realizes that the blister that they have on their lip that they once thought was a harmless sign of the changing seasons is actually herpes type I, one of the first questions they is whether or not they can pass it on genitally to their partner.

The very short answer to this question is, yes – you absolutely can pass on oral herpes to the genital area. Herpes simplex virus is transmitted by skin to skin contact through the mucous membranes. If you have an oral herpes outbreak and perform oral sex on your partner you can pass your herpes to them. When this happens, they will have genital herpes. Just like herpes type II, herpes type I outbreaks can be difficult to identify. Sometimes they look really bad like puss-filled blisters then there are other times when they look like simple pimples. Just as with genital HSV, if you think you are having an outbreak on your mouth, it is best to refrain from any sexual contact – including kissing.