Ribivirin and pregnancy

[Bethie915]

Hello everyone 10 weeks ago I finished treatment for hep c. After the first 4 weeks of treatment the virus was undetectable and is still undetectable. I just want to know why you have to wait 6 months to get pregnant. I want statistics of women who have had children with birth defects due to Ribivirin

[newleaf09]

I don't think the stats exist yet; that's why they want people who've been pregnant on riba or within 6 mos. of finishing to contact their registry, so they can develop those statistics.

If the warning applies to both men and women, this is a powerful mutagen and not to be trifled with.  Don't let emotion overwhelm good science.

[copyman]

like the others said it is a mutagen and can alter cells. This is the last thing you want when a baby is developing.

The 6 months wait time to be safe is because of the long half life of the drug. In other words it takes a very long time for the ribavirin to leave your body.

[fretboard]

You can write to the registry, I doubt if they will tell you anything.  It's alot easier to trust the drug companies/fda, why would they be untruthful?  good luck

Assessing ribavirin exposure during pregnancy: the Ribavirin Pregnancy Registry.
Roberts SS.

Ribavirin Pregnancy Registry Coordinating Center at Kendle International, Inc., Wilmington, NC, USA. ***@****

Ribavirin, used in combination with an interferon, is used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Ribavirin is a Federal Drug Administration Pregnancy Category X product, indicating that its use is contraindicated in women who are pregnant. The package insert also states that ribavirin is contraindicated in men whose partners may become pregnant. The Ribavirin Pregnancy Registry operates in the United States and actively monitors pregnancy exposures to ribavirin. The registry evaluates the association between ribavirin exposures during pregnancy or within 6 months after treatment is stopped. Participation in the registry is voluntary. The registry relies on patients and healthcare providers to provide exposure and pregnancy outcome data to the registry. Despite patient education and counseling, ribavirin-exposed pregnancies occur. Understanding more about the risk of ribavirin exposure in human pregnancy is critical. Nurses are vital to the success of the registry. Until the registry enrolls adequate numbers of patients, obtaining answers to questions about the safety of ribavirin in pregnancy will be delayed. Every exposed pregnancy that is not enrolled in the registry is a missed opportunity to further our knowledge about the risk of ribavirin exposure during pregnancy.

[desrt]

Ribavirin is an RNA mutagen.If you remember your high school biology, there's one amino difference between RNA and DNA. This is the site riba binds to. It has something to do with mRNA diploid, and haploid cells - but I've been away from high school for awhile, so my memory may be a little fuzzy.
Anecdotally, I know of one woman who got pregnant slightly before 6 months post-tx. Her kid has a lot of health/developemental problems. You probably won't find a lot of meaningful statistics, since it seems most women who do tx already have established families.

[Trinity4]

If you want statistics you really need to do the research.  This board represents a very very small percentage of women who have taken ribavirin and decided to become pregnant after treatment.  I can't recall one person to date.  Researching studies about the drug and the manufacturers information will certainly give you the most accurate statistics.  I see no reason why they would advise women to wait 6 months unless there was hard core data to back it up.  

[jdwithhcv]

The manufacturers of Ribavarin can probably provide you the statistics you want.  The risk (as I understand it) is not from the virus, it is from the drug.  Since the manufacturer and medical community say wait 6 months, it would be foolish to do otherwise.  Why would you even consider it?

jd