Hepatitis C During Pregnancy-is it common

Hepatitis C is a viral disease in which the liver becomes inflamed. This disease spreads through contaminated blood. Hepatitis C can cause serious liver damage.

It can cause the liver to become scarred (cirrhosis) or lead to liver cancer. You may not have symptoms immediately after infection, and it can take years for symptoms to appear.

Will the disease spread to my baby?

There are no vaccines or treatments available to lower the risk of spreading hepatitis C to your unborn baby (fetus). However, the chances of your unborn baby being infected are low.

The risk of infection to your fetus increases if:

• During labor, you have prolonged water breaking (membrane rupture) that lasts 6 hours or longer.
• You have a weakened immune system due to HIV infection.
• You have a high hepatitis C virus (HCV) count in your blood.
• You have high nucleic acid (RNA) levels in your blood (you are “RNA-positive”).
• An internal fetal monitor is used during labor.
• You have abnormal liver function test results.
• You have scarring of the liver (cirrhosis).

The risk of infection to your baby does not increase if:

• Your baby is born by vaginal delivery or cesarean delivery.
• You breastfeed your baby. If you do not have HIV, you can breastfeed your baby even if you have hepatitis C.

Follow these instructions at home:

Medicines

• Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider.
• Make sure you understand what medicines are safe for you to take during pregnancy.
• Check with your health care provider before taking any new medicines, including over-the-counter medicines. You may need a different dosage or you may need to avoid taking certain medicines if liver damage is possible.
• Take your vitamins and supplements as directed by your health care provider.

General instructions

• Get plenty of rest and sleep.
• Eat a healthy and balanced diet.
• Protect your abdomen from injury (trauma). Trauma could rupture a swollen, enlarged liver.
• Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is important so your liver function can be checked.

Contact a health care provider if:

• You develop nausea, tiredness, and loss of appetite.
• Your urine is dark and your stool is light colored or gray.
• You develop pain in your upper abdomen.

Get help right away if:

• Your skin and the whites of your eyes turn yellow.
• You have a fever or persistent symptoms for more than 2–3 days.
• You have a fever and your symptoms suddenly get worse.
• You develop abdominal pain.
• You develop bruising or bleeding problems.
• You develop a severe headache.

Summary

• Hepatitis C is a viral disease in which the liver becomes inflamed.
• This condition spreads through contaminated blood.
• The chances of your unborn baby being infected are low, but they increase if you have HIV/AIDS, or if you have a prolonged water breaking during labor.
• You can safely breastfeed your baby if you have hepatitis C as long as you do not also have HIV/AIDS.