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I contracted HSV2 late in pregnancy


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As the title states, I contracted HSV2 late in pregnancy.. Me and my kids father ended up hooking up after being broken up for a while and he ended up transmitting the virus to me. I'm not sure if he knew he had it or not but something tells me he knows he wasn't clean because he insisted we use condoms which is something we never did. I haven't had sex since I contracted HSV2 on February 4th (I was 27 weeks pregnant at the time) I suspected I had a bad yeast infection when the symptoms started to pop up... but when the monistat wasn't working and sores started to appear i went to my OBGYN on April 3rd (at almost 35 weeks pregnant) to get a swab test. She immediately said it looked like herpes. She sent me for a blood test the same day. The very next day she called me to say that the swab test was positive for HSV2 and put me on Valtrex 1000 mg twice a day for 10 days, then I started suppressive therapy 500 mg twice a day. The igM blood test results came back a few days later saying that I was negative for HSV1 and 2 which suggests that this is a newly aquired infection (which I already knew) but it concerns me because what it's saying is that I haven't built any antibodies against herpes from February 4th to April 3rd... I'm now 40 weeks pregnant and due to be induced on Tuesday at 41 weeks... I've been on valtrex for 6 weeks now but I'm worried because even though I don't have a current outbreak I wonder if I'm shedding the virus, every little itch or tingle I get I worry thinking its herpes. I'm scared that my baby will be born with neonatal herpes because I contracted it for the first time so late in pregnancy. My doctors seem so nonchalant about it saying as long as there's no outbreak and no signs of an outbreak when I go in to be induced that I should be able to deliver vaginally safely but I'm still not quite sure..everything I'm reading online is saying the opposite and that my scenario puts the baby at MOST risk for transmission. Is 6 weeks on valtrex enough to keep me from passing herpes onto my baby if I had no antibodies 6 weeks ago even though I caught the virus 13 weeks ago? Someone please help put my mind at ease. I'm getting induced Tuesday.

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That's what I was thinking, especially after reading everything I saw online about this being the worst possible scenario. I don't understand why my doctors are acting like it's no big deal and thinking it's safe for me to proceed on with a vaginal birth?? I'm scared that even if I have a c section that my baby will still be born with herpes because I'm not sure if 13 weeks is long enough to develop antibodies... especially since the blood test was still negative just 6 weeks ago. I'm very nervous and scared.

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If you're getting induced tomorrow you need to speak to the obstetrician today. He or she will know the risks. Maybe bring your swab results and blood results to show this is a recent infection.

 

Your baby cannot contract the disease through a c section.

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I'm so, so sorry you're going through this and understand why you are so concerned. I'm not a medical professional, but from all I've read on this topic, those at greatest risk (BY FAR) of transmitting neonatal herpes are women who become infected in late pregnancy and do not yet test positive by the time of labor. In those cases, the risk is believed to be 30-50% (vs. only .02% for those who test positive).

 

Studies indicate about 30% of women will test positive for HSV2 at the end of pregnancy, and an additional unknown percentage have established genital HSV1 infections which are equally problematic in terms of neonatal herpes, yet neonatal herpes is a rare complication in such cases (1/5500). The MAJOR exception seems to be women who contract it without having enough time to build sufficient antibodies prior to labor.

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I emailed the OBGYN who diagnosed me this morning with my concerns and haven't heard back from her yet. I just got off the phone with a OB from labor and delivery and voiced the same concerns (told her the swab was positive, and the blood test was negative) she asked if I was taking he valtrex twice a day & I told her yes I've been on it for the past 6 weeks and she was saying that's good and once again stated the same thing I was originally told which is if there's no active lesion present after a thorough exam than the baby will be safe from contracting the virus...

 

This is frustrating... she told me remind the dr tomorrow about the exam. She didn't seem concerned that there weren't any antibodies present on my blood test from 6 weeks ago.

 

Do you think 13 weeks is long enough to build antibodies? Especially since there was an outbreak 6 weeks ago? I've been doubling up on valtrex (2000 mg a day) the last 3 days just to be extra safe.

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Just got off the phone with another OB who I've seen recently and he was explaining to me that the igM test was probably negative because I've developed igG antibodies by now (seeing as I was infected in the beginning of February) even though there wasn't an igG test administered. He didn't seem concerned at all about my herpes infection although he reminded me i wasn't 100% protected either way. He seemed more concerned with the size of my baby & told me if I wanted to have a c section it was completely up to me and I had the choice. I think that may be the route I go tomorrow for obvious reasons.

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@Lovepink44 Yes, the correct test is the IgG test. The IgM test should not have been administered at all. The results are totally unreliable. Do you have time to take an IgG test by any chance? I've used an online service that turned around my results in 48 hours. I can PM you the details if you'd like.

 

In general, it is recommended to wait 12 weeks to take the IgG test as that is typically (up to) how long it can take to trigger a positive result. However, antivirals can slow that process. Obviously there were good reasons for you to be taking antivirals, but the one downside can be slower building of antibodies. Again, I am not a medical professional and all of my understanding comes from reading. I will PM you a link to a study on pregnant women, some of whom contracted genital herpes in late pregnancy. Perhaps you will find a different perspective in it, and if you do not, perhaps you can share it with your doctor.

 

 

 

 

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@Lovepink44 I just read over your first comment and see that it appears they *only* ever gave you an IgM test, never an IgG test. Is that correct? I'm hoping that perhaps when your swab test was positive, it reflected an established infection, rather than a brand new infection. Perhaps they administered an IgM test to rule out a new/recent infection, though I don't believe it's recommend for that anymore. I believe the current recommendation is to never use it due to unreliability. Had they administered an IgG test and it had been negative, that would have indicated a new or recently acquired infection. Perhaps the fact that your IgM was negative leads them to believe the infection is not new and therefore not of higher risk? Just a thought.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi! I think that is indeed what the doctor was saying... I ended up giving birth vaginally on May 17th and so far the baby is very healthy, just a little jaundice, but I'm watching him super closely for any signs of illness because I'm still paranoid about the whole ordeal. The OB's & the pediatrician are aware of my HSV2 and my late outbreak and they don't believe anything has been transferred to baby. When I was in labor they did a thorough check and there was no active outbreak so they felt confident to go through with the vaginal birth even given all the concerns I brung up. This very well may have been an established infection that didn't present itself until I was 35 weeks pregnant. The igM test through me for a loop but now I'm curious to know how long I've actually had herpes. Thanks so much for your input. I'll keep you all updated on the outcome in case there's someone else going through the same thing

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