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HEP C with pregnancy

Hello,
I was diagnosed with Hep c about 6 years ago. I have lead a healthy lifestyle and have had continues monitoring by my doctors. My viral levels are at normal levels. I have been pregnant 2 times in the last 4 years and have lost both of them at the 3rd month. I am now pregnant again, I am about 5 weeks now. I started spotting again today and so I am concerned. The doctors dont know what to think,exspecially since they know that I can carry a child. I have a son who is 13 years old. My question is there anyone out there that has had any problems carrying a baby with Hep C? And if you have had a baby did you have similiar problems? Any tips or advice?? Help.

Thanks
O
23 Responses
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Avatar universal
Every time I read of a woman going thru these quest, & failures... it just rips me in half.

I don't know ya'll personally, however I had a close friend, & co-worker that endured the ups & downs of this process this for years, & it can truly be emotionally devastating!!! I understand fully the ticking of that biological clock.
I'll keep ya'll in my prays that June is going to be a productive month, & that you both experience the joys that you desire!

Hang in there!

Susan,
Keep us informed when you stumble across these HCV Pregnancy issues ( as I am always interested, & have learned so much from you) You have done your homework well over the years!

Louise,
I have thought of you of you often.. & was even looking for the envelope from the card you sent with the Gibraltar address because I wanted to contact you.

A while back my outlook froze up on my other computer, & I wasn't able to even retrieve any of the e-mail addresses  in it.... I still have a n old response to Tonyz stuck in the outbox... & that's been many months ago!

I got a new laptop since then, & have been rebuilding my address book from scratch.. Ha!
Looking forward to hearing from you!
:)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sandi's right.  HCV is a VERY serious disease and the only way to really know the extent of the damage it has caused is through a liver biopsy.  I would highly encourage you to consider getting one after you give birth.  You really can't have total peace of mind until you know the condition of your liver.  There are people who are on the doorstep of cirrohsis who feel perfectly fine.  

Also, it's imperative that you be evaluated by a good hepatologist, if you aren't already seeing one.  As far as treatment goes, I've made the choice to postpone it until better medications come along (if I continue to have the luxury of waiting).  But my decision was made after getting the results of a biopsy that showed "no significant fibrosis."  Even at that, I'm viligent about monitoring this disease and I take a tons of supplements and herbs to help maintain my liver health. In short, I have a plan.  You need to make sure that you do, too.

Best wishes to you.

Susan
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Avatar universal
thanks for the reply...i completely agree and have the same concerns...but i would assume at some point the toxins from the meds would leave our systems...unless somehow it can cause permenant damage which i have never heard happening have you?...

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Avatar universal
Scott,

I know...it stinks.  Thanks for your empathy.  Sometimes I feel so lucky compared to a lot of the posters here because my liver is in good shape.  But then I have to remind myself of what HCV has cost me (motherhood) and I feel like the most unlucky person of all.


Sandi,

I take back what I said about the ribavirin.  I agree with you that it has to leave your system at some point.  Louise has proceeded with a pregnancy attempt after treatment and I have confidence that her efforts will eventually pay off and that there will be a healthy baby in her arms someday.

Susan
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Avatar universal
i pray so too susan...and for you too!!!
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Avatar universal
Hi Susan,
Pleased also, to hear you'll be trying again in June.  I'll have my fingers crossed for both of us!
I'm kinda thinking this may be our last attempt too.  It took so much out of me physically & emotionally, so much so, that I'm really not looking forward to going through this whole thing again in June but we live in hope that things will work out this time.
Best wishes
Louise
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Avatar universal
I'm glad to hear you're trying again in June.  As a matter of fact, we'll be giving it another try that month, too.  It'll probably be our last attempt (although I've said that before) because it's just getting too costly (financially and emotionally).

Let's hope June is a great month for both of us!

Susan
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Avatar universal
This was one of our main concerns with starting IVF.
We were reassured by my hep c specialist that 6 months after tx, the drugs would be out of my system completely. We were also reassured by our IVF consultant that we were safe to go ahead, sadly, as you know, our first attempt failed 9 months after tx.  The embryos didn't implant & we were told it was pure & simple bad luck as everything else went so well.
We're due to try again in June which will be 13 months after finishing tx.
I read on another forum about someone who had successfully completed tx for hep c, & had her first attempt at ivf work, although I can't for the life of me remember how long it was after tx.

Susan.....hope you're okay? what are your plans for the future?

Vicki....sorry I haven't been in touch lately, been busy at the cat sanctuary & with the IVF.  Will e mail you in the next few days.
Best wishes to everyone.
Louise
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Avatar universal
yes i was just reading today that thyroid cancer is an increased possibility with hep c...and you probably already know that thyroid problems can be connected to infertility...gosh i'm so sorry you had to go through that with the cancer...hep c is horrible...hope you will be able to treat it someday...

i was wondering if you have you had a liver biopsy yet? that is really the only way we can tell if we can wait for treatment or if we should be in a hurry...i'm surprised the dr mentioned viral loads being important...you see viral loads have nothing to do with liver damage and whether or not to treat...some drs mistakenly deduce that. for example i had a low viral load befor start of treatment 2 years ago, but biopsy shows bridging fibrosis...a stage right before cirhosis...now 2 years later i'm at cirhosis...

hope to hear yours isn't advanced...and pray for your baby and for protection that all will be well...

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Avatar universal
Wow,
This is great. I am so blessed to have gotten so many responses. Thank you all for your advice and suggestions. I will take each one into consideration. As far as treatment goes for me, my doctor said that I do not need it because my viral levels and liver are in good shape. I have Kaiser and they told me that they only give the treatment to people who's viral levels are really high for 3 weeks straight. I feel fine other then being really tired all the time. The funny thing that stuck out in the responses that I got was that hypothyroidism was brought up and it being potentially triggered by HEP C. About 2 years ago I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and was put on medicatation. 6 months after that they found a growth on my thyroid and had to do surgery and found that it was cancer. Its really amazing, I am 32 and feel like I have to many health problems.

Thank you all again for taking the time to responde. I pray that each and everyone of you get the chance to experience being a mother. I know that I have had some problems but compared to some of you I guess I should be thankfull that I have a son. You are in my prayers Tall Blonde.
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Avatar universal
HCV and HIV May Trigger Antiphospholipid Syndrome

By David Douglas

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infection may be involved in certain, albeit rare, cases of the autoimmune disorder antiphospholipid syndrome, Spanish and Mexican researchers report in the April 1st issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. However, this disorder is likely to become more common.

As lead investigator Dr. Manuel Ramos-Casals told Reuters Health, the data "suggest that antiphospholipid syndrome is infrequently observed in patients with chronic viral diseases such as HCV or HIV infection, although the progressive use of antiviral therapies will lead to a probable increase in the number of patients presenting with autoimmune or rheumatic features."

Dr. Ramos-Casals of Hospital Clinic, Barcelona and colleagues, using data from Spain and Latin America, identified 82 cases of antiphospholipid syndrome in patients with viral infection. Of these, 45 had chronic HCV, 32 had HIV and the remaining 5 had HIV-HCV coinfection.

Among the main clinical features were avascular bone necrosis in 20 patients, peripheral thrombosis in 17, thrombocytopenia in 15, neurological features in 13 and cutaneous manifestations in 8.

In particular, the main features in HCV patients were intra-abdominal thrombosis and myocardial infarction. In HIV patients, these were avascular bone and cutaneous necrosis.

"These viruses may play an etiopathogenic role in certain patients with antiphospholipid syndrome," Dr. Ramos-Casals continued. He and his colleagues conclude that the viruses "might act in some patients as chronic triggering agents that induce a heterogeneous, atypical presentation."

04/19/04
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Avatar universal
Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Characterization in Relation to Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Josep Ordi-Ros,* Julieta Villarreal, Francesc Monegal, Silvia Sauleda, Ignacio Esteban, and Miquel Vilardell

Department of Internal Medicine, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Received 30 July 1999
______________________________________________________

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is usually defined by the association of clinical manifestations that comprise venous and/or arterial thrombosis, recurrent fetal losses, and thrombocytopenia, along with the presence of anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies and/or lupus anticoagulant. Various infectious diseases can induce aCL; however, these antibodies are not usually associated with thrombotic events, as happens with autoimmune diseases, in which these antibodies need the presence of 2-glycoprotein I. Levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM aCL antibodies were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for 243 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and 100 healthy controls. Clinical events of APS, the level of 2-glycoprotein dependence of aCL, the presence of cryoglobulins and other autoantibodies, and cross-reactivity between purified aCL and HCV were evaluated. Positive results for aCL antibodies were found more frequently (3.3%) for the patients with HCV infection than for healthy controls (0%). All positive aCL antibodies were 2-glycoprotein I independent. No significant association was found between aCL antibodies and clinical manifestations of APS, neither was one found between the presence of other autoantibodies or cryoglobulins and that of aCL. Finally, no cross-reactivity between aCL antibodies and HCV antigens was observed. As previously reported, aCL antibodies seem to be an epiphenomenon, and they do not have clinical or laboratory significance in HCV patients.
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Avatar universal
yes very interesting articles...as you know we are childless also...but have other issues as well as hepc as possible problems...

so here is my question susan...should those having trouble getting pregnant because of hep c treat or not? will treatment help them fix whatever wrong so they can get pregnant or will treating hurt there chances even more? what if they wait long enough after tx to ensure it is completely out of there systems?

also risk of hypothyroid and diabetes can rise from "hep c" too right?  (i think) i do know it is a risk from treatment. so how should we think about these things if questioning pregnancy problems? it's a tough one and clearly alot of people have no problems getting pregnant at all with hepc so it's hard to know if that is the cause...

just curious what your thoughts are about these things...i know you have been through alot and have a lot of wisdom in these matters...

sandi
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Avatar universal
I'm sorry about your miscarriages.  You need to do a Google search on "Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Hepatitis C."  As you probably already know, HCV can trigger a number of auto-immune problems and antiphospholipid syndrome is one of them.  This disorder causes micro-clots to form in the placenta which results in miscarriage.  I've gone through this six times and I'm still childless.  

There is an experimental treatment for antiphospholipid syndrome (heparin and aspirin), but it didn't work in my case. I hope you have better luck.  

Susan

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Avatar universal
I had 2 kids via c-section.  I was infected in 1967 and correctly dx in 2001.  Both kids are fine, both tested neg for hep c.

Why don't you tx your hep c?  Hep c does cause bleeding problems--I lost sight in my dominate eye-my right due to a small injury that the bleeding was unstoppable and things ruptured. i was in 2 hospitals, emergency surgery etc That was in 1999.  I was a photo jounalist then.  what a bummer-loose an eye and a job!

I have a friend who had an unstoppable nose bleed pre-dx and did the same hospital thing.  B/she was dx w/hep c right away.

Then I had an abdominal/esophageal bleed that landed me in icu w/a near death experience and coma for 6 days in 2001.  then I was dx w/hep c.

Both my friend and I have treated successfully and are still SVR 3+yrs later.

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Avatar universal
I know that they have a Riba Registry Program...
but it's more for those within a certain age group, that actually got pregnant during that 1st 6 months.

You might could call the 800 # & find out if they have statistics or something. Maybe they could elaborate more on this matter.

That would definately be interresting to know.... I have not personaly stumbled across anyone with that scenero.

I know Louise tried, but that it didn't take.

Here's the link....
however as informed as you are about this topic, you probably already have it.

http://www.ribavirinpregnancyregistry.com/

:)
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Avatar universal
Hi Sandi,

I think the answer largely depends on age.  A woman in her early 30's can potentially afford to postpone trying to conceive for a couple of years while she focuses on HCV treatment and recovery. A woman in her late 30's or early 40's probably can't wait that long.

Personally, I'd be very worried about trying to conceive after interferon/ribavirin treatment -- regardless of age.  Who knows what the risks are to the child?  They already know that ribavirin can cause devastating birth defects. Will waiting a year after treatment eliminate those risks?  I wouldn't want my child to be the guinea pig testing that.

I'd be interested in hearing from women who have conceived and given birth AFTER treatment for HCV.  Anyone out there?

Susan
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Avatar universal
one of the memebers here stated that she has had several miscarriages that she attributes to her hcv infection, maybe she has some info that you can use.
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Avatar universal
Thank you all for responding so quickly. I appreciate your responses and your concerns. I do pray that this baby will make it. Keep your fingers crossed :)
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Avatar universal
I can't speak for her, but I assume she hasn't opted for treatment yet because she's trying to build a family.  Pregnancy is strongly contraindicated for anyone on interferon/ribaviron treatment due to the liklihood of severe birth defects.  In fact, women are advised to avoid pregnancy for at least 6-12 months after completing treatment.  Even then, it's not clear whether it's safe.

Susan
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the info and the link.  I wasn't familar with the registry, so I look forward to reviewing it.

Susan
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Avatar universal
I also had a child three years ago.  I was diagnosed with Hep C five years ago.  My pregnansy was fine.  I haven't read anything that says that Hep C could cause miscarriages or anything like that.  I hope everything is okay with your baby.  Don't give up.

Gabbe
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Avatar universal
I have had hep c for over 25 years and just got dx in 2003.  I had 3 babies during the time before I was dx.  All 3 were C sections, first child I had edema and was put to bed for the last month, 2nd child I had preg induced diabetes and the last one no real issues at all. My babies got bigger each time, 8.1, 9.6 & 9.13 lbs  I have no idea if any of these things were a result of the hep c.

Since my dx all my kids (now 22, 19 & 13) have been tested for Hep C and none have it.

I am sure others will be along to share soon.

I will be praying for you.
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