Hepatitis C Pregnancy and Breast feeding

Should pregnant women be routinely tested for HCV Hepatitis C?

No. Pregnant women have no greater risk of being infected with HCV than non-pregnant women.

If pregnant women have risk factors for hepatitis C, they should be tested for HCV.

What is the risk that HCV-infected women will spread HCV to their newborn infants?

About 4 out of every 100 infants born to HCV-infected women become infected. This occurs at the time of birth, and there is no treatment that can prevent this from happening. Most infants infected with HCV at the time of birth have no symptoms and do well during childhood. More studies are needed to find out if these children will have problems from the infection as they grow older.

Is there a greater risk of perinatal HCV transmission if the mother is co infected with HIV?

Yes, if the mother is confected with HIV, the rate of perinatal transmission can be as high as 19%.

Should a woman with hepatitis C be advised against breast-feeding?

No. There is no evidence that breast-feeding spreads HCV. HCV-positive mothers should consider abstaining from breast-feeding if their nipples are cracked or bleeding.

When should babies born to mothers with hepatitis C be tested to see if they were infected at birth?

Children should not be tested for HCV Hepatitis C before 18 months of age as HCV antibodies from the mother might last until this age.

If diagnosis is desired prior to 18 months of age, testing for HCV RNA could be performed at or after an infant's first well-child visit at age 1-2 months.

HCV RNA testing should then be repeated at a subsequent visit independent of the initial HCV RNA test result.

Source Center for Diseases Control CDC http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm#1b

 

another useful resource on Pregnancy Childbirth and Breastfeeding available from hcvadvocate

 

TREATMENT and Pregnancy NO !

If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant HCV Hepatitis C treatment can cause harm to an unborn baby. (Ribavirin, one of the drugs used for HCV treatment, has been linked to birth defects and miscarriages),

This warning applies both to female patients and female partners of male patients.

You MUST NOT undergo treatment if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant .

You MUST NOT take hepatitis C treatment if you are the male partner of a woman who is pregnant.

On Treatment it is recommended two forms of effective contraception used at the same time are recommended for both males and females while they are taking treatment and for 6 months after treatment has been completed.

source medsafe