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Last Updated:
Jan 3rd, 2010 - 00:09:53
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Question
My husband and I would like to get pregnant. He has herpes. We have always been extremely careful and concerned for my safety, we have always used a condom and never have sex when he has an outbreak. We understand that there is always artificial insemination, but we get nervous about that whole procedure. We talked about using a syringe to insert the semen, will this idea work? Can I still contract herpes this way?
Thank you
Answer
There are excellent medications available which your husband can use on a daily basis (e.g. Acyclovir or Valtrex) which can minimize his outbreaks and significantly decrease his chances of transmitting this disease to you. If he does happen to transmit herpes to you--keep in mind that herpes is not a serious or life-threatening disease. Often, when one spouse has this condition, the other spouse will expect that at some point in their marriage, he/she may contact it. Taking reasonable precautions (having the infected spouse use a medication to minimize risk of transmission, and avoiding intercourse during active outbreaks), makes sense, but it is probably more trouble than it's worth to go to the extremes you mention. Certainly, use of barriers (condoms) reduces the intimacy of sex and closes off your relationship to new life--this can have serious consequences for your relationship... Use of artificial insemination will greatly minimize the risk of transmission, but not reduce it to 0. You are right to express concerns about A.I.--it reduces sexual intimacy and procreation to something clinical, rather than something personal--you, your husband, and your to-be-conceived child deserve better! I recommend you take the advice about minimizing exposure risk (above), and have an otherwise normal sexual relationship with your husband. This will most certainly be better for your marriage--and I know you will be happier in the end!
John Gisla, MD, NFPMC is Board Certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians,
and Certified as a Medical Consultant for Natural Family Planning and NaPro Technology
by the Pope Paul VI Institute. He is on staff at Mercy of Folson Hospital and on the NFP Advisory
Board for the Diocese of Sacramento. He has been married ten years and has two daughters and a son.
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