We want a Baby, but I have Hep C

My husband and I had a baby in 1998, before I knew I had Hep. C I found out I had it when I was 8 months preg.. w/ our daughter. She is now almost 10 years old and no signs of Hep C. She has been tested 3 different ages. All clear. I got Hep C from a blood transfusion back in 1990. So I went 8 years not knowing I had it. My husband only has 1 child. After 12 years of being together we want another baby  A.S.A.P. I am a very healthy person, I'm 34, I eat right and exercise. I'm waiting to get the results of my Viral load test to see where I'm at. My question is..... Is it possible for me to give my husband a baby W/ out harming the baby or myself.?

[Trinity4]

Here is some useful information I pulled off the internet.  You have one child that is symptom free so the chances of passing the virus along are minimal, but it can happen.
Work closely with your doctor and make sure your viral load is not high enough to increase those chances of transmitting to your unborn.  I'm sure you know that you can't consider treating the virus while you are pregnant.   Good Luck
Trinity

Pregnancy: Can Mother Give Baby Hepatitis C?

Question :
What are the risks of transmitting hepatitis C to a child during pregnancy? Can either parent transmit hepatitis C to a child?

Answer :
Hepatitis C is transmitted by blood and body fluids. Risk factors for contracting hepatitis C include blood transfusion prior to 1990; intravenous drug use; a sexual partner with hepatitis C; and working in the health care field. Many people with hepatitis C are unaware they have been infected, and the virus is believed to be the cause of much liver disease, often long after initial infection.

Hepatitis C may be transmitted by an infected woman to her unborn child, but this is not common; only about 7 percent of babies born to infected mothers are infected this way. The greatest risk of transmission occurs if the women has a large amount of virus circulating in her system or if she is also HIV-positive. If a woman has hepatitis C, then procedures in which there may be exchange of blood between mom and baby should be avoided (such as amniocentesis, use of fetal scalp electrodes during labor or use of vacuum or forceps for delivery). Breastfeeding rarely results in transmission of hepatitis C, and currently the U.S. Public Health Service does not advise against breastfeeding if mom is infected. The chance of a household contact transmitting hepatitis C to another person (mainly through contact with bodily fluids, such as toothbrush sharing) is very slim.

Normally, being pregnant will not affect the course of the hepatitis, unless a woman has hepatitis E, which can worsen severely in some cases. Pregnancy itself will not hasten the disease process or make it worse, although if the liver is already burdened and scarred with cirrhosis, the extra demands of pregnancy may predispose the expectant mother to a condition called acute fatty liver of pregnancy.

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy may be related to liver disease, deficiency of an enzyme normally produced by the liver that allows the pregnant woman to metabolize fatty acids, or the cause may not be known. This condition can quickly become severe, and also affect the unborn child (who may also be born with a deficiency in this enzyme). The treatment is a quick delivery, and treatment in intensive care. Normally, the pregnant woman will recover quickly after the birth, and has a good prognosis if the liver damage is not severe.

Another complication that can occur in both women with hepatitis and those without it are gallstones (cholelithiasis), which often create jaundice during pregnancy. It occurs in 6 % of all pregnancies, in part because of changes in the bile salts during pregnancy. Also, the gall bladder empties more slowly during pregnancy, meaning the bile sits longer and the risk of gallstones goes up.

This condition is often treated with laparoscopy during the first six months of pregnancy, but during the last three months, the uterus is so enlarged that this procedure can't be done.

[Trish77]

Your baby will not be completely risk free from contracting Hep C.  The risk is low at 6% or lower of you passing it on to the baby but not non-existent. If your baby contracts Hep C and it remains active, your child will need treatment at some point in his / her life and will have the issues that can go with having Hep C.

If you decide to seek treatment before you get pregnant, the treatment at the moment is 24 weeks for any genotype other than 1 and 48 weeks for genotype 1.  Then it is six months after the treatment for the drugs to clear your system as they're highly dangerous for a developing baby.

Good luck with thinking this through.

Trish

[DGriswold]

Thank you so much for answering me and sending some info my way. I have done a lot of research myself on the internet and read books. I'm waiting to get word on my Viral Load test to see where I go from here. I do not plan on getting any treatment at this time. That's why I'm waiting for my VL test. If my test is low I'm pretty sure we will go forward w/ this. I will differently work closely w/ my doctors. I just had some blood work done in April and my Dr. told me everything was normal. I don't know what that means w/ Hep C. What's normal??? If you can think of anything else that would help I would appreciate it very much. Thank you again.

[Trish77]

I'd be careful what your doctor means by "normal".  If he means that your ALT and AST levels, your liver enzyme levels, are normal then he's not going far enough.  I hope you're seeing a gastroenterologist who is experienced with treating people with Hepatitis C.  Not all GI's are familiar and experienced with what to watch for when it comes to Hep C.  

Your viral load does not co-relate with nor will not tell you the extent of any liver damage you might have. Your blood test won't either.  It's a good indicator of where you MIGHT be at for a good number of people however something around 30% of people with normal ALT and AST levels have advanced liver disease. A liver biopsy will give you a more accurate indicator of where your liver is at. I don't say this to scare you ... I say that to make sure you get all the RIGHT tests to make sure of where you're at and to be SURE you can wait for treatment, particularly if you're considering adding to your family.

Trish

[dancegirl54]

If you are serious, I would make sure your dr is a hepatologist and you have a consult with a pediatric hepatologist, you can get a lot of info by googling pkids and can talk to Dr Rosenthal on that site.  The statistics are not reliable. I passed the virus on to 2 of 4 children, which was a 50% statistic and I had no other of the unproven risk factors. It is absolutely true that V/L has nothing to do with progression. My son has always had a minimal V/L yet his biopsy showed a 3/3 and he had to treat - successfully!  I would talk to other Moms, you can find some on this site that knowingly gave birth with HCV, and also to Moms with HCV kids. In this case, more info is better because it's not just about you.  Feel free to message me too
Lisa

[Trish77]

I think dancegirl has excellent advice for you.  I would talk to other moms who have been in your position, both those that knowingly gave birth with HCV and then had kids who had HCV and talk to other moms who didn't know they had HCV when they gave birth and passed it on to their kids unknowingly.  As she notes...more info is better because it's not just about you....which you know, because you are asking questions in the first place.  I encourage you to keep seeking out your answers and, again, good luck.

Trish
  

[nygirl7]

Just remember while it's improbable it is possible - we've had a few members in here who were born with the disease and it's not an easy road for them once they become college age and have to deal with doing treatment too.

That said - you really do have to understand that there is absolutely no guarantee and while the worst case scenario might not happen it could happen.  Nobody really knows and it's up to you to decide if you can live with the worst case I guess.

[Marcia2202]

I gave birth to 5 children. One of my twins was infected, but cleared herself. I did not know at the time that I was HCV positive. I just found out a few months ago.

I can only say what I would do myself, and please do not take this as a criticism.

I would NEVER put my child knowingly at risk of contracting this disease. I would go through treatment first and once SVR have another child. I don't think it would be fair to my child to take that decision for the child. But that's just my opinion.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Marcia

[DGriswold]

Thanks to everyone who has responded. There's alot of caring people out there. My husband and I are going to wait for me to have more test done before we get pregnant. Like a liver biopsy.(and some others) I'm waiting for my appointment at the end of this month. So now I play the waiting game. And since we want one so bad, I'll do treatment 1st if need be. And YES I will wait 6 months after to get all the meds out of my body. Thank you again for all the support. This site is GREAT!! I will come back and let ya all know what happens. ( Cuz I'd want to know! ) Thanks again