Could I have caught a cold sore?

[Hero76]

I went to a party tonight and saw a very old friend whom I hadn't for ages. We air kissed but it was a bit awkward - she had a cold sore. I avoided touching her lips and tried hardly to touch her cheeks at all but now still worried. I havent ever had a cold sore and have been reading dreadful stuff on the internet if you get one when pregnant....Anyone suggest any info or advice

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Don't know what you've been reading, but there's no problem with having cold sores when pregnant. I think that you actually have to be prone to cold sores (ie have the virus lying dormant in you) to get one, even from contact, so if you haven't had one ever before then it's unlikely that you'll get one now.

[ZacharyQuack]

If your lips didn't directly or indirectly touch the coldsore, you're very unlikely to have caught anything. It's not passed through cheek-to-cheek contact.

[mrsmontano]

you need direct contact with it (lips on lips) to actually catch the coldsore virus, so sounds like you'll be fine.
and there's no problem with getting a coldsore in pregnancy unless you get it.. ahem.. downstairs for the first time, ie genital herpes, and even then it's usually no problem. im assuming you didnt get that friendly with this lady tho!
so dont worry.

[surprisenumber3]

Just to add, I did recently read an article about a lady who had a cold sore for the very first time when she was about to give birth. The baby caught it (I think from the mum kissing her when she was born) and the baby was very poorly, after catching the virus (the mum hadn't told the hospital it was her first one).

Apparently if the mum had had a cold sore before then the baby would have been ok because she would have got the antibodies to fight it from her mum but her mum hadn't built those antibodies up herself yet.

The doctor commenting on the story said if you have your first cold sore while pregnant you should always tell your care providers it's your first one so that adequate measures can be taken and the baby should be fine.