Yes. If the mother is having her first outbreak during pregnancy, there is a risk the baby may contract the virus. If it is not the first outbreak, there is less of a chance.

Yes, the virus can be passed from a pregnant mother to her unborn child. The risk depends on the condition of the mother and what stage of the disease the mother is in. Without medication, an infected mother has about a 25 percent chance of transmitting HIV to her unborn child. This risk can be reduced to as low as 2 percent using the medication, Retrovir. It also is important to remember not to breast-feed your child if you are HIV positive, as the virus can be transmitted through breast milk.

There has been one known case in the United States of a mother passing West Nile virus to her unborn baby. In this case, the baby was born with serious medical problems. However, it is not known whether the problems were caused by West Nile virus or by other factors. Since evidence shows it is possible to pass West Nile virus to an unborn child, pregnant women should take immediate steps to reduce their risk of mosquito bites if they are in an area where West Nile virus is active.

No, she does not always pass it on to the unborn child. The odds are getting better (last I heard the odds where - with out medication you pass it to the child with a 1 in 4 chance - with medications it drops to a 1 in 12 chance). If you are pregnant and HIV+ make sure your Dr. is aware of it. What generally happens is that the mother will start (if she hasn't already) a cocktail of drugs in the last trimester to get the viral load as low as possible.

Based on the limited number of cases studied so far, it is not yet possible to determine what percentage of West Nile virus infections during pregnancy result in infection of the unborn child or medical problems in newborns. In 2002, one case of transplacental (mother-to-child) transmission of West Nile virus was reported. In this case, the infant was born with West Nile virus infection and severe medical problems.

We recommend you consult with a pediatric neurosurgeon in your area. You may also want to read our short booklet about prenatal diagnosis of hydrocephalus.

Yes. Prenatal testing can be done using either chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis (see 6.4).

It is normal for mothers-to-be to feel uneasy taking medications while pregnant. However, if a pregnant woman has asthma, it is especially important that her asthma is well- controlled not only for her own health but also for the health and development of her unborn child. If you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, discuss your asthma with your doctor so your airways can be stabilized and appropriate medications prescribed.

No share certificates can only legally be owned by a living person. The moment the child is born you may purchase the share.

No. Per federal regulations, financial securities (such as stocks) may only be registered to persons already born. However, a Gift Announcement can be printed today, and presented when the baby is born.

A woman infected with HIV can pass the virus on to her baby during pregnancy, while giving birth, or when breast-feeding. If a woman is infected before or during pregnancy, her child has about one chance in four of being born with HIV infection. Medical treatment with AZT during pregnancy and labor may reduce the risk of infecting the baby to about 1 in 12. There must be no breastfeeding by the infected mother and the baby must be given AZT for the first several weeks of life.

Wrongful death of an unborn child cases are cases when an unborn child dies in a mother's uterus. When an investigation reveals the factual reason for death of an unborn child, it is possible for a family to sue against those liable for such death. For example, if a child dies in a tractor-trailer accident and the truck driver is at fault for the accident then the family of an unborn child can bring a case in court against that driver and the trucking company.

When finding out about an unplanned pregnancy you will go through a lot of different emotions. You may not know exactly what to feel or how to express those feelings. Sometimes you may even convince yourself to deny the pregnancy completely. This is somewhat normal when trying to decide what to do about an unplanned pregnancy. Your counselor will be able to help you sort through your emotions and figure out what to do.

Most people with vitiligo have no relatives with vitiligo. However, enough people with vitiligo do have parents, or siblings or children who develop vitiligo that a genetic factor does appear to exist. While there is some disagreement in the medical community, many vitiligo experts believe there is not an increased risk for skin cancer in vitiligo patients.

Yes. If the pregnant woman has definitely had chicken pox in the past there should not a risk of exposing the fetus to the virus. However, to be on the safe side, children with chicken pox should avoid coming in contact with pregnant women.

When the virus is dormant/inactive inside the nerve cells it cannot be contracted by others. If there is virus on the skin it may be passed on – see What is asymptomatic shedding? We have produced two leaflets "Talking to your partner about herpes simplex" (four pages) and "For your partner" (two pages), with advice and information for people in new relationships. These may be ordered by members. See subscription form.

Women with genital herpes can have healthy babies. However, it is possible, if you become infected during pregnancy or you have an outbreak at the time of delivery, to transmit the infection to your baby. Therefore, it is particularly important to take appropriate precautions to prevent becoming infected during pregnancy, particularly if your partner has genital herpes and you don't.

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her baby; through the blood vessels in the placenta, the mother?s blood supplies the developing baby with nourishment and oxygen. If the mother drinks alcohol, the alcohol enters her blood stream and then, through the placenta, enters the blood supply of the growing baby. Alcohol is a teratogen, a substance known to be toxic to human development.

HIV-infected mother can infect the child in her womb through her blood. The baby is more at risk if the mother has been recently infected or is in a later stage of AIDS. Transmission can also occur at the time of birth when the baby is exposed to the mother's blood and to some extent transmission can occur through breast milk. Transmission from an infected mother to her baby occurs in about 30% of cases.