How may herpes simplex affect pregnancy and childbirth?
If you have caught herpes simplex before becoming pregnant you can give birth normally. This is because during the last few months of pregnancy, babies in the womb develop antibodies to all the infections ( childhood illnesses ) that their mothers have previously caught (and have antibodies for). These protect the baby from these viruses during childbirth and for 3 to 6 months afterwards; longer when breastfed because the antibodies are in breast-milk, but the virus is not (despite the report in Daily Mail, 7-9-2009).
