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PREGNANCY&HCV TESTING
For the life of me I can'nt understand WHY,WHY, do they not test women for hepititis c when pregnant!!They test for hiv and everything else !! it Angers me that I HAVE HCV i HAD THREE BABIES AND WAS NEVER TESTED ! WHERE'S THE LIABILITY it should be a law ! I love my children and woulden't tradem for the world!!!But if i'd known i could have infected them at birth maybe i WOULD HAVE WAITED TO TREAT BEFORE HAVEING MORE ! now i have to deal w/ this stress too!! IT'S NOT RUTINE WELL IT SHOULD BE ! I WONDER HOW MANY OTHERS HAVE BEEN INFECTED Becouse of THIS NONESENS!!
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Well, I never would have thought to ask to be tested - NEVER !! As long as they continue to make assumptions about who might be at risk, they are missing many of us who don't fit their narrow profile. I think they know exactly what a mess they would have on their hands should routine testing be available. I am certainly not a conspiracy theorist but it seems they are putting off for tomorrow what they cannot handle today.
They just don't want to know simply because most of us will make it into our 70's and die of something else so why open Pandora's Box? It is much more prudent for them to blame it on the "druggies" and let everyone else assume they are not at risk. HA !!
Gosh, golly gee - I am not usually this negative ?? lol
They just don't want to know simply because most of us will make it into our 70's and die of something else so why open Pandora's Box? It is much more prudent for them to blame it on the "druggies" and let everyone else assume they are not at risk. HA !!
Gosh, golly gee - I am not usually this negative ?? lol
I had the same thing happen to me. My LFTs were elevated ever since the late 70's (I have a physical every year) but none of my doctors ever told me until one just happened to make a vague mention of it to me in 2007. He told me it was of no significance so I didn't press the issue but it did set off a red flag in my head. At my next yearly physical in 2008, I asked about my LFTs and I was told they were high again. My doc again dismissed it as no big deal but I insisted that he check for a cause. Thus the diagnosis of Hep C. It wasn't until I hunted down copies of all of my old medical records that I found out that my LFTs were high for 30 years right along with my WBCs being low for 30 years but no one thought I needed to know that information. I had a blood transfusion when I was 2 days old and still none of my docs cared to think about the relationship.
julie3211... I gave birth to 3 sons while unknowingly having Hep C and they are all clear. Two were C-section and one was natural birth.
I agree that everyone should be tested but the trick is how to get that to happen.
julie3211... I gave birth to 3 sons while unknowingly having Hep C and they are all clear. Two were C-section and one was natural birth.
I agree that everyone should be tested but the trick is how to get that to happen.
The risk of vertical transmission during regular vaginal birth is due to direct contact between baby and mother, due to more chances of tears and open wounds both on mother and baby. With C-section, if it is performed by experienced professionals, this risk goes down tremendously, as you don't have to push the child through the birth canal. Of course, if some rookie won't be careful enough to avoid scratching or cutting a baby, that's another story.
“They dont want everyone who has it to know it or the insurance system would be flooded with crazed mothers wanting to treat”
I’ll take it a step further. It should be mandatory that everyone is offered by their Dr. to be tested. I’ve had a Heart Attack, and God only knows, how many physicals. All I was ever told was my liver enzymes were a little high. You would think after awhile, they would want to know why. They never made a big deal out of it so I wasn’t concerned.
Out of all the gallons of blood, not once did the test for HCV. Why?? “They dont want everyone who has it to know it or the insurance system would be flooded”.
I’ll take it a step further. It should be mandatory that everyone is offered by their Dr. to be tested. I’ve had a Heart Attack, and God only knows, how many physicals. All I was ever told was my liver enzymes were a little high. You would think after awhile, they would want to know why. They never made a big deal out of it so I wasn’t concerned.
Out of all the gallons of blood, not once did the test for HCV. Why?? “They dont want everyone who has it to know it or the insurance system would be flooded”.
They dont want everyone who has it to know it or the insurance system would be flooded with crazed mothers wanting to treat - that's my opinion.
They are trying now to make it law but I am always doubtful that anything will be done about it. I just posted something last week about this.
I am grateful I had two sections and my kids were both negative.
They are trying now to make it law but I am always doubtful that anything will be done about it. I just posted something last week about this.
I am grateful I had two sections and my kids were both negative.
As info, you can swallow HCV infected blood all day long and not become infected. You can't contract HCV through ingestion.
To everyone, I'd like to clear up one thing. My comment about aborting is not my belief one way or the other and I don't think we need to go in that direction. I was simply listing the only alternative if an HCV infected woman can't bear the thought that she could possibly transmit the virus to her child.
Trinity
To everyone, I'd like to clear up one thing. My comment about aborting is not my belief one way or the other and I don't think we need to go in that direction. I was simply listing the only alternative if an HCV infected woman can't bear the thought that she could possibly transmit the virus to her child.
Trinity
EVERYONE should be checked as part of their routine blood work. Maybe they just don't want to know how many people are HCV positive?????
The risk of vertical transmission can be virtually eliminated with c-section?
how can this be ?? I had three c- sections and my fear is they must have swallowed
some of my blood ?
I am pro life and woulden't consider abortion
how can this be ?? I had three c- sections and my fear is they must have swallowed
some of my blood ?
I am pro life and woulden't consider abortion
All i know is i had three babies in the last eightyears, three different docs and delivered one at a teaching hospital,and was never tested for hcv! sure it's a personal decision a mother has to make to have a baby knowing theres a chance of passing on a virus of any kindyou might have ,,I have three girls and would love to have a little boy to complete my family but knowing there's the slight chance i could give it to the baby ,there's no way i'm takeing that chance ! and can't understand anyone who would take that chance !!as for my three girls i'm praying to god they don't have this and waiting on test to come back to clear this up it's just terifying me ,,I FEEL THIS COULD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!
Much of what kind of OB care you receive and what kinds of tests are done during pregnancy depends on who your doctor is and what they deem "appropriate." What one particular OB (or nurse-midwife) practices can be quite different from what another does, and it also varies from patient to patient. Sometimes doctors make decisions to test for certain things only if patients fall into certain "risk" groups.
Though most OB docs who deliver at large hospitals use a standard "prenatal panel" for testing, what that "panel" actually tests for can vary from lab to lab. Most of the larger commercial labs and OB docs that work out of teaching hospitals do include hiv and both hep b and hep c on routine OB blood work, but though it's 'recommended' by the most docs, you're right, it is not mandatory. As Trinity points out, some docs do not see any "utility" in testing hep c during pregnancy, as it cannot be treated during pregnancy. I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this added stress, but I hope things work out for you. ~eureka
Though most OB docs who deliver at large hospitals use a standard "prenatal panel" for testing, what that "panel" actually tests for can vary from lab to lab. Most of the larger commercial labs and OB docs that work out of teaching hospitals do include hiv and both hep b and hep c on routine OB blood work, but though it's 'recommended' by the most docs, you're right, it is not mandatory. As Trinity points out, some docs do not see any "utility" in testing hep c during pregnancy, as it cannot be treated during pregnancy. I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this added stress, but I hope things work out for you. ~eureka
I don't know, I guess it's a decision the parents or mother has to make on a personal level. The likelihood of passing hepc vertically is around 4 percent I think. There are many hereditary diseases with much higher odds of passing on to the children and parents know this yet they opt to have children anyway.
I never had to make the decison whether to have children or not because of the virus.
I didn't know I had it so life was good. Both my children are virus free but even if I had known what they termed hepatitis non A, non B at that time, no one knew much about it and there sure wasn't any treatment. Knowing what I know now, and if I were of child bearing age, I do believe I would attempt treatment before having children.
Trinity
I never had to make the decison whether to have children or not because of the virus.
I didn't know I had it so life was good. Both my children are virus free but even if I had known what they termed hepatitis non A, non B at that time, no one knew much about it and there sure wasn't any treatment. Knowing what I know now, and if I were of child bearing age, I do believe I would attempt treatment before having children.
Trinity
You know what trinity you have a point there if your already preg what to do ? actually it should be routine at a normal check up even if your liver enzymes are normal thats no indecator and seems to be the way ! They won't test you for it unless you show high enzymes,makes no sense to me hcv is an infectiouse disease shoulden't everyone get test as a precaution ?then there would n't be sooo many babies effected by this! they say it's a small chance but if there's one baby that could get it then thats one too many !Yeah there's un planned pregnancys but if u know you have hcv you should make sure your responsible about birth control until you can treat and clear the virus don't you think?
There's kind of conflict there. If you're pregnant and test positive for hepc what are your options? You can't treat while your pregnant so there's only two options, have the child or abort if a woman can simply not deal with passing the virus on to the child. If they tested during pregnancy that could certainly have an impact on future pregnancies. It would be ideal if all woman would test prior to considering pregnancy, however, many pregnancies aren't planned, it just happens.
Trinity
Trinity
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I had a very experienced well-respected OB-gyn doc preparing me for my pregnancy (I was preparing for IVF at that time), this is when I was finally diagnosed having HepC, then requested my childhood medical records to see if something in my medical history could provide a clue when and how I got it. But the point is - I then saw a hepatologist and an infectionist, both of them told me not to worry about HCV. I was told that the risk of vertical transmission is really-really low, and can be virtually completely eliminated with C-section delivery, as almost all cases of vertical trasmission involved vaginal delivery. Hepatologist also told me his only concern would be my own health, as pregancy puts a lot of pressure on liver. I didn't have any signs of liver damage though. All three specialists advised me to get pregnant first, and then treat after the delivery, when I feel like I am finally ready for tx. Two of them specifically mentioned it would be a better choice to have a baby first and then go through tx, not vice versa, as sx of interferon could be unpredictable.
I am all for routine screening for HCV, however this diagnosis alone should not stop you from having a baby. Other factors are more important, such as your overall health, lifestyle, maturity, readiness to become a caring parent, etc.
I have two super healthy and very bright kids now. They tested negative for HCV antibodies at 10 months and at 3 years. I am glad I listened to the docs and treated 2 years after giving birth. I must admit though - my main concern throughout the pregnancy and till my babies got their first HCV testing was all about vertical transmission. It was impossible not to worry about it, even though every doc told me not to worry.