hep c and delivery?

Question

i found out i have hepc and i have no idea which way to have the baby is safer. im not sure what to do because my doctor ***** and doesnt do crap!!! im 31 weeks prego and babys gunna be here soon.. if anybody can help with a lil more information it would be greatly apperciated... thank you!!

willbb · Accepted Answer

There seems to be no clear evidence that cesarean has any benefit over having a vaginal birth.. The rate of vertical transmission to a child is approx. 5% and somewhat higher if the mother is co-infected with HIV.

Good luck and  an early congratulations on the addition :)
Will

http://www.perinatology.com/exposures/Infection/HepatitisC.htm


Delivery and Postpartum
The risk of vertical transmission of HCV appears to be related to the level of viremia in the pregnant mother and not to the route of delivery. The virus does not appear to be transmitted when a woman's titer is < 10^6/mL or is negative [18-20]. Although Tejari et al [21] and Conte et al [22] did not find cesarean section to be protective against transmission of HCV to the neonate Gibb et al have found the HCV maternal to child (MTC) transmission rate to be reduced in patient delivered by elective cesarean[23]. The latter study has yet to be confirmed. Elective cesarean to reduce MCT transmission of HCV is not presently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics or the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)[1,7,24]. At delivery staff and the baby’s pediatrician should be notified of the mother’s hepatitis C carrier state.
Breastfeeding does not appreciably increase the risk of transmitting HCV to a neonate [21, 24-26]

DontKnowMuchBoutIt · Answer

i had my baby girl in march this year. My OB/GYN said that c-section was best, but my previous had to be delivered by c-section as well, so that played a factor in delivering my second. Still unsure if my youngest contracted the virus, her pediatrician won't test till 18 mos. Good luck to ya, and a early congratulations.

MsDragonSlayer · Answer

I had my baby naturally at home, and i had hep c, and it was an amazing birth.
Im sorry about your doctor, i had a 2 midwifes and a doc on call if i needed him. My child does not have hep c either.  I am sorry to say I don't know about the medical guidelines for this. I just wanted share with you that I had no problem delivering with hepc, ofcourse I didnt know i had it then because it didn't show up in blood tests 26 years ago. 
Good luck dear and feel free to bend my ear anytime!
carolyn

Bill1954 · Answer

The risk of HCV transmission from mother to child is low; around five percent or so. Are you discussing this with your obstetrician/gyn doc or your primary care guy? I’m not sure one method of delivery is preferable to the other; I think other factors prevail in this regard due to low odds of transmission. Next appointment ask your gyn doc specifically about this subject and press him/her for an answer. Good luck with your new child-

--Bill