Important herpes and pregnancy tip: If you are pregnant or aspiring to become pregnant, it’s vital to tell your midwife and doctor that you have the infection. They will provide you with advice about herpes during pregnancy. The risks of passing the infection to your fetus are low if you’ve caught the infection before the pregnancy. Your physician will recommend you about reducing this risk further.
For people with herpes, whose partners become pregnant and haven’t already caught herpes, it’s very vital that they do not catch herpes in the course of the pregnancy. You must speak to your physician about reducing this risk.
Do I need to Tell My Partner?
Informing your partner regarding the diagnosis of your infection has been shown to diminish the risk of transmitting the virus. You can’t get herpes from sharing towels or baths, hugging, from toilet seats, or swimming pools from sharing cutlery or cups.
The risk of both types of genital herpes transmission is estimated at 5% to 10% every year. The risk of transmission with type 1 is lower than that for type 2.
Moreover, as HSV-1 can cause common cold sores, it’s possible that your partner will have been exposed to the virus before. If your partner has been infected with type 1 on their genitals or mouth (cold sores) already, then it’s very implausible that you’ll infect them again.
Further Info and Help
If you think that you have genital herpes or any other STI, then consult your family physician or local sexual health center or dermatology/venereology clinic.