Introduction
The occurrence of the typical blisters in the area of the mouth, which are caused by the virus herpes simplex, is called lip herpes in pregnancy. The outbreak of lip herpes is more frequent during pregnancy. It is suspected that the hormonal changes are responsible for an increased susceptibility. During pregnancy there is usually no danger to the baby if the mother has cold sores.
How dangerous is lip herpes for my baby?
Lip herpes often occurs during pregnancy and is usually not dangerous for either the mother or the baby. It is usually not a new infection of the mother with the herpes virus, but rather the virus is already dormant in the nerve cells of the majority of the population. During pregnancy these can migrate along the nerve tracts to the lips and cause the typical painful blisters there.
They are not transmitted to the baby or influenced in any other way. However, lip herpes in pregnancy can also indicate an increased stress level. As a lot of stress can have a negative effect on the baby, mothers with lip herpes should consider whether they can reduce possible stress and take more care of themselves.
A herpes infection can generally become dangerous if a person’s immune system is severely weakened. After birth an infection of the baby should therefore be avoided. If even then the mother still has lip herpes, she should wear a mouth guard until the blisters are crusted.
This can prevent a possible danger to the baby. Lip herpes at the beginning of pregnancy is not dangerous. In the event of an outbreak, the baby is not infected with the virus in the womb, nor does it cause illness or damage.
In most cases, lip herpes usually heals within a few days to a few weeks, even during pregnancy, so there is no need to worry if an outbreak occurs at the beginning of pregnancy. In general, lip herpes is not dangerous for either the mother or the child, even if it occurs at the end of pregnancy. Unlike genital herpes, there is no risk of infection for the child at birth.
After birth, if the mother’s lips are still affected by herpes, transmission to the child should be avoided. This is usually achieved by wearing a mouth guard and regular hand disinfection. It is not necessary to separate mother and child. As soon as all the blisters on the mother’s lips are encrusted, there is no longer any risk of infection.
