effect of genital herpes on pregnancy

Last reviewed 01/2018

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