Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is prevalent worldwide among women of childbearing age. The major concern of maternal HSV infection during pregnancy is transmission to the fetus. Neonatal infections can result in serious morbidity and mortality. The following article focuses on the management strategies of genital HSV infection during pregnancy.
Management strategies for women who have genital HSV infection during pregnancy include suppressive antiviral therapy starting at 36 weeks to reduce the risk of recurrence at labor, and cesarean delivery for select women to reduce the risk of neonatal transmission. However, neither of the two above mentioned interventions completely eliminate the risk of neonatal transmission. Let us go through different management strategies for primary, non-primary first episode, and recurrent genital HSV infection in pregnancy and also how to deal with…
