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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

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