Re-Post What is the Definition of 'High' Viral Load During Pregnancy/Birth?

[Poppea]

I'm sorry, I reposted this b/c the 'post a comment' option was somehow disabled on the first post I had..It leads to a web page instead.
I have been trying to research information on the web re: vertical transmission of HCV & viral loads. I noticed there seems to be a correlation between the mother's viral load at the time of birth & transmission to the newborn.
I have been Hep C positive since at least 2000. I gave birth to a son on 9/30/03. My last test for viral load before I gave birth was 7 months prior in March, 2003 & it was 572,000, way up from 188,000 in Sept 2002..VL seemed to spike during my pregnancy & then afterward, dropped to down to 29,500 in March 04, then undetectable June 6 2006 & now I just got more results today, Aug 8th & VL is 5,035, up again.
My question is what is considered a dangerous high VL for a mother while pregnant or giving birth? IS Hep C transmitted intauterinely or during the birth?
Is it possible the pregnancy caused my VL to rise or is that just a coincindence? IS it normal for the ranges to fluctuate so greatly?
Thanks,
Lisa

[Poppea]

I read up briefly on vx-950 & wow, I hope it works as well as they say. There are threads on this forum re: clinical trials for it which I will read now..When is vx-950 scheduled for release? Exactly how long does it take for a drug on the FDA 'approval fast track' to get to the public? If it works as well as they are touting, (little or no adverse effects) it should be flying off the shelves but will probably be expensive, I'm guessing. Coincidentally, I went to grade school w/some of the Johnson (& Johnson) kids. They were so bleeping rich I couldn't believe it.
Guess they are still making $$ hand over fist.

http://www.vrtx.com/Pressreleases2006/pr063006.html

[Poppea]

Seriously, C-Sections are mandatory for HCV deliveries at your wife's hospital? That suggests to me that the medical community is pretty convinced they are less likely to vertically transmit, even
if not 100% safer than vag. There also seems to be a lot of conflicting info on episiotomy vs tearing too but I never had a vag birth so I can't really relate any experience on that.
Lisa

[Poppea]

Are any of these studies available on the web? I'm very interested in reading them. Yesterday I spent several hours Googling/reading articles/abstracts about vertical Hep C transmission. Many of the articles are studies done on groups of mothers & I would say the majority of them imply that planned C-Section is less risky than vaginal. Maybe because the planned aspect of it means there's less that should go wrong & a less prolonged time of exposure to the mother's fluids as in a vag birth. Also said somewhere that the rate of infection is lowest in the US, where C-Sections are more commonly performed. However, some of the articles were 6-8 years old & it's hard to tell if it's still the current belief. I agress that maybe 1-2 studies, I think the one from the link in one of the above posts showed no correlation between decreased vert infection & C-Sect.One thing all the research agrees on is that C-Sections are safer for HIV/HIV-HCV co-infected moms b/c HIV is in all body fluids. The info seems somewhat ambiguous re: HCV-only infected C-Section where blood is the only carrier.
Lisa

[Snookmiester]

Not to call you out or anything, but can you point me to the studies? Interested, as my wife worked 6 years in Labor and delivery, and they still make C sections mandatory for infected mothers. The reason being, less probability of infection.

[cuteus]

recent studies do not support c section as a better delivery method for hep c infected mothers. it does not decrease the risk of transmission. No one is certain when it happens and how, so either method of delivery carries the same risk of infection. There  is one study that got published early this yr or sometime last yr. Do not choose c section because you think it might decrease the risk, it is not supported by medical data.

[amommy]

Hey,
Thanks cao.  I am very fortunate that I have a supportive family.  Also, I am fortunate to be a geno 2.  I was clear at 4 weeks so I ducked out of tx at 20 weeks.  It remains to be seen if that was a good decision, but at the very least, it allowed me to survive.  I feel a little guilty because my 2 year old watched MORE than a little bit of TV during that time, but thankfully it was over a brutal winter so she didn't miss out on too much.  
I often wonder how many of us moms really are out there.  It is nice to see more around here.  I just wish NONE of us were in that boat!  
About viral load during pg, in alot of people, viral load actually decreases during pregnancy.  For whatever reason, I did not react that way.  

Hope that all of you have a great weekend!  I am about to take a nap :)  My 2.5 year old got up at 4am UGH.