Tag Archives: herpes outbreak

STD Awareness: Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Pregnancy

Posted on by
1

Every month since January 2011, we’ve been sharing installments of our STD Awareness series, and each month, we’ve encouraged you to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) by using dental dams and condoms. But what if you’re trying to get pregnant? In that case, you’re probably not using condoms! However, it is very important that partners know their STD status — being screened and treated for STDs prior to pregnancy is a good idea for your health, and can protect your future baby.

If you and a partner are trying to get pregnant, you might consider being screened for STDs together.

When present during pregnancy, certain STDs can have negative health effects for you or your future baby (including preterm labor, stillbirth, low birth weight, pneumonia, certain infections, blindness, and liver disease), especially if they are not cured or treated in time. Receiving prenatal care can help prevent these problems, so it is important to be screened and treated for STDs prior to or early in your pregnancy.

During pregnancy, the immune system undergoes changes, which are probably necessary to ensure that the body doesn’t reject the fetus — normally, the immune system recognizes non-self cells as potential pathogens and attacks. These immune system changes might make a pregnant person more susceptible to disease. Latent viral infections, like genital warts or herpes, might come out of dormancy. Additionally, anatomical changes lead to a larger exposed area of the cervix, which is potentially more vulnerable to initial infections. Continue reading →

STD Awareness: Herpes

Posted on by
7
Here, individual herpes simplex virions can be seen infecting a host cell. Image obtained from the CDC’s Public Health Image Library.

Here, individual herpes simplex virions can be seen infecting a host cell. Image obtained from the CDC’s Public Health Image Library.

Last year, in my Anatomy & Physiology class, the subject of herpes came up, which launched a few people into mini-tirades laced with judgmental language, describing it as “disgusting” and “gross.” My classmates might have been more sensitive, as statistically speaking, there were probably several people in that very room who were living with herpes. Given that most of my fellow students were pursuing careers in the health-care field, it was especially disheartening. Yet despite being relatively widespread, herpes is often stigmatized and misunderstood.

Herpes is caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV), which comes in two strains: HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 is most often associated with oral herpes, while HSV-2 is most often associated with genital herpes, though by no means is this association exclusive. For example, HSV-1 can cause genital herpes when the site of infection is the genitals. It is estimated that only 10 to 15 percent of those with herpes exhibit symptoms, and that millions of people unknowingly carry the virus. After infection, the virus enters a latent state in nerve cells, where it will remain for the rest of the host’s life – the same is true for other viruses in the Herpesviridae family, such as the virus that causes chickenpox.

Oral herpes is incredibly common – about 90 percent of U.S. adults have been infected with HSV-1, and most of them caught it as infants or children through nonsexual transmission. HSV causing oral herpes remains latent in the trigeminal nerve ganglia in the face. Cold sores, which appear on the outer margin of the lips, appear when the virus has been activated and it moves along the pathway of nerves from the ganglia to the surface of the skin. They can be triggered by sunburn, stress, or even menstruation.

Continue reading →