hepatitis incidence by sexual contact

What is the incidence of getting Hepatitis C by sexual contact ??

[Wilhop]

Back in the olden days of the 1990s the CDC listed sexual contact with someone infected with HCV as one way to get it.  At that time they refused to listen to the hundred of thousands of us who claimed that they had not acquired HCV despite unprotected sex with an infected person.

There were also a few people who felt great remorse that they had given it to a partner.  I, personally never believe that that was the way their partner got it.

My wife had Genotype 1, which is the worst form, for fourteen years before we knew she had it, so we had a pretty good idea how rare sexual transmission really was.  She has now had it since 1978, we think, and have lab reports from 1981 where her LFTs were high for both AST (general muscle cell death) and ALT (Liver cell death) were always above the normal limits.  We did not change our sexual contacts and it has now been 32 years.

So, this is just one man's opinion, but I don't think you can get it unless there is blood to blood contact.  So if there are no sores on both the man and woman in the areas of contact I would guess that it is dang near impossible to get it.

Being a government agency, the CDC is still unwilling to admit that they could ever make a mistake so they now say that multiple sex partners increases you chances of acquiring HCV.  They certainly could be right, but it's hard to know since most people who post on these boards are not likely to admit this.

Again, most of the people we used to know back then knew exactly how, if not when, they got it.  There were a large number who had participated in IV drugs without changing needles and like my wife who had a six unit blood transfusion after a hysterectomy in 1978 many had been transfused.  We feel very lucky that she didn't also get HIV since it was the the blood banks by then, but nowhere near as widely spread as HCV.

I am sorry to say that many of our friends from then are now dead from this horrible disease, but despite HCV, and seven other operations she is still ticking, at 77 next week.
And I am still negative for HCV.

     KOKO (Keep on keeping on)  Hop, Wilhop's husband of 58 years.

[22hamilton]

Yes I agree,transmission seems to be blood into blood. My partner is negative after many years also.
Welcome to the forum. Hope Wihop is well, its marvellous to see an older person on here and I wish you all the luck in the world !

[GrandOak]

HCV transmission does not 'seem to be" but has in fact been "proven to be" blood to blood.

So only chance for transmission resulting from sexual interaction is if there is any risk of blood to blood contact.

If my assumptions are correct and I've had the infection for 40 yrs.  then likewise here that after 30 yrs of marriage and 3 children that my wife and kids are all negative.

This is a blessing since not knowing of the infection, care around injuries and sexual contact was not taken to insure no blood to blood contact.

Of course now knowing of my infection, much more care is given to insure that my blood does not come into contact with the blood of others.