As many as twenty million Americans have genital herpes. The infection is transmitted by contact, almost always sexually. You don't have to have a lesion to be infected. The lesion can be very painful, but are relatively harmless to the adult. It can, however, be deadly to the newborn if he or she contacts the disease.
Herpes infections recur periodically. It may be only once a year, or as frequent as every month. Certain factors may trigger a recurrance: the lack of sleep, stress, sunburn, and poor nutrition are just a few.
The pregnant woman can pass a virus to her baby if she has an active or a chancre virus from her cervix. If you are in labor and have a lesion, you will need a ceasarian section.
Only last year, obstetricians were doing weekly herpes cultures on the cervix after 36 weeks gestation. If the cultures were negative, you were allowed a vaginal delivery unless, of course, you developed a lesion. For certain women, the new recommendation by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology is no longer to do weekly cultures, since it takes 3-4 days to get the results and the information you then have does not pertain to your current condition. Your individual management will depend on your physician.