Genital herpes in pregnancy is a dangerous disease

Genital herpes is an infectious disease of a viral nature. The disease has been known since ancient times and has been well studied. The causative agent is a virus that possesses tropism and the ability to infect the skin with nearby nerve nodes (ganglia). The Latin name of the causative agent is HERPES ZOSTER, which roughly means "creeping" in Greek. And indeed, the rash characteristic for herpes, as it were, spreads over the skin and mucous membranes of the body. There are two varieties of the virus: type 1 causes periodic rashes, mainly on the lips and upper half of the body, transmitted by airborne droplets. The virus of the second type, which causes genital herpes, is localized mainly on the genitals and has a sexual way of transmission. Once infected, a person is already a lifelong carrier of infection. In the inactive form, the virus remains in the sacral nerve plexus. Under the influence of various adverse factors such as hypothermia or vice versa, overheating of the body, lowering of immunity, catarrhal diseases, the virus is activated and causes an exacerbation of the process, characterized by the precipitation of small vesicles filled with watery contents. Bubbles soon burst and in their place, especially in the folds of the skin of the inguinal region painful sores are formed.

By itself, genital herpes is not life-threatening disease, but can cause a lot of trouble, especially for women. The fact is that genital herpes is very dangerous during pregnancy. The doctors proved that in half of cases of the formed phenomenon of "habitual miscarriage", when a woman can not endure pregnancy and quickly loses the fetus, the genital herpes is the culprit.

Another insidious feature of the disease genital herpes is that the process can be asymptomatic, that is, without visible rashes, but simply with the release of the virus on the mucous membranes of the vagina or glans penis. In this case, a person may not even know that he is infected, but the causative agent transmitted to the partner may well cause symptoms of the disease.

The worst option is when a pregnant woman does not suspect the presence of a virus that causes genital herpes in her body, since it has powerful teratogenic (fetus-causing) properties. And if the infection of a future child did not occur in the early days (this usually results in miscarriage) after conception, and after 20 weeks, in 90% of cases children with severe defects of intrauterine development are born: microcephaly (underdevelopment of the brain), lack of limbs or incomplete formation of internal Organs (heart defects, gastrointestinal tract), as well as congenital cataracts until complete blindness.

It is taking into account possible complications, especially to pregnant women, and even better only planning pregnancy, women need to undergo a complete examination, including the presence in the body of a virus that causes genital herpes even if there are no clinical manifestations of the disease.

If a patient has genital herpes diagnosed as treated - specialists usually do not have questions. Despite the fact that there is no specific medicine against the virus itself (as, indeed, against other viruses), there are antiviral drugs that are capable of making it inactive for a long time and can actually bear and give birth to a healthy child under their "cover" .

It is common practice to treat both sex partners simultaneously, if they are permanent. But the most effective way to avoid disease is, of course, prevention. In particular, the use of a condom 100% will protect against infection with a virus that can cause genital herpes.