Cold sore/herpes on lips

[sandrapeter]

Hi all!

I am pregnant and have heard that it is dangerous for the child when the mother has cold sores or herpes during the pregnancy. Is that true? If so in case I get one, what can I do? Please advise me.

Sandra

[Henry]

Hi Sandra,

The truth is that if you have never had a cold sore or herpes before in your life, it is very likely that you don't carry the virus actively within you. Then chances for a neonatal herpes are extremely rare. But even if you have had cold sores or herpes before it is unlikely that you get an outbreak during delivery. Of course it is not impossible and if it happens utmost care has to be taken to protect the child. Various cremes and tablets are not recommended for treatment in such a scenario due to their chemical ingredients which may hurt the child. A good solution in this case is a small heat triggered device which I have seen in the net and works without chemicals. Also make sure that after delivery you inform friends and family to be very careful if they have a cold sore themselves as the immune system of a baby is not matured enough and this virus may be dangerous for your child after it is born as well. The best thing will be to talk to your doctor about it. I am attaching a few links which you might find helpful:

http://www.herpes.com/pregnancy.shtml
http://www.wellness-shop.com/herpes-simplex.html
http://www.herpes.org.nz/pregnancy.html
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregna ... 60877.html
http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~faculty/wagn ... index.html

cheers and all the best for your pregnancy

Henry.

[possum21]

I had some friends years ago who used to take Lysine when they had a cold sore and used to swear by it. From information I have read Lysine is effective for cold sores etc although I have never tried it myself. It might be worth having a look at as an alternative to drugs etc as it is a naturally occuring amino acid. Check out your local health food store or perhaps do some research on the web.

Hope this helps
Col

[myhealth]

you have to be careful about this herpes thing and if ever you get it also, dnt just take any OTC, be sure that you contact your gynea and under his advice you can buy medication.