I have a pt. who is about 15 weeks pregnant. She has Hepatitis C. She’s one of my favorite patients, although I suppose I’d like her more if she knew less about medicine. It’s always a bit unsettling to try to help a patient who basically knows more than you about her medical conditions. Actually, I’m kidding. Patients who educate themselves (she lives on the internet…she’ll probably read this within the first 10 minutes of posting) are the best to work with because they often partner with their doc in taking care of themselves.
So the two of us are working on taking care of her Hep C problem at the same time as her pregnancy. The question is whether or not Hep C while pregnant is a problem.
The answer – from what I’ve gathered after reading and talking with GI specialists – is that Hep C is a problem in general, but pregnancy doesn’t have much bearing on it. The only big issue is trying to prevent the new baby from getting it. And like most things with Hep C, we humans don’t have too much control over that outcome.
Hep C is a virus (see funky-cool pic), so we can’t kill it. There is hep A, B, C, D, E and probably F,G, and who knows how many others, each quite different from the others. Hepatitis infects the liver, as the name suggests. It causes an acute infection, which isn’t usually a big deal and is over in a few weeks. But it also causes a chronic infection that isn’t a big deal either…for about 20 years. Then it’s a real drag. Imagine being told that – as of today – you just swallowed a time-bomb that might or might not explode sometime in the distant future. Bummer for you, dude. Have a nice day.
That’s Hep C.
El Problemo is that the acute infection usually leads to a chronic one, which over time causes cirrhosis (basically, a rotting liver). Hep C is the most common reason for liver transplantation in the the U.S. And in case you’re wondering, the liver is important. If you want me to talk about how your liver does positive things for your life, I’m happy to do that. Suffice it to say that the liver is not like a fibula, or funny bone, or navel or second testicle. It’s called the liver ’cause you can’t live without it. And when a person goes into liver failure, the experience is disfiguring, painful and often very bloody.
“Hmmmm.” You think, “So, what’s the bad news, Dr. A?”
The bad news is that the baby can get it too. There isn’t good information on how the infection happens (called vertical transmission), or what causes it to happen to some kids and not others. Currently, smart researcher types believe the biggest risk for vertical transmission is when the mom is also infected with HIV. Another problem is if the mom’s viral load is high (it usually isn’t if the mom is chronic). If neither of these things are present, the limited studies done on this topic suggest a relatively low transmission rate…something like 4-8%. On one hand, this is nice, because you can flip that number around and say that there is a greater than 90% chance that the baby won’t get Hep C from mom. On the other hand, it’s still close to 1 in 10 babies who get it. It’s a half-empty/half-full perspective kind of thing.
The virus has been found in colostrum (part of the breast milk), but there’s no evidence that babies become infected by breastfeeding, e.g. if you swallow a gnat, it doesn’t mean you’re now infected with gnats. “What about C-section?” You might ask. “Can’t you just zap the kid right out of there and keep it from all that birthing mucky-muck?” There has only been one small study comparing C-section to vaginal delivery and, statistically-speaking, there was no difference. It makes sense to keep the baby away from mom’s infected blood as much as possible. But if you’ve been in on both vaginal deliveries and C-sections, you know that until the day when we can just reach up there and put the kid in a zip-lock bag and pull ’em out, birth is just going to be a bloody affair no matter what route you choose.
So, after all that, what I can say is that we aren’t going to do anything for my patient. We’ll test her new baby for Hep C during the first year of life. But that’s about it. It makes for an intellectual but otherwise normal pregnancy.
After talking up the bad, here’s some cool stuff: The few studies on this subject show that infection doesn’t affect pregnancy. One small study suggested, actually, that pregnancy was beneficial to the long-term odds of mom progressing to liver failure. Also, it appears that even kids who do manage to pick up the virus from their moms tend to do pretty well. Some clear the virus entirely. Those who don’t usually aren’t affected at all during childhood.
There’s lots more that can be said here about Hep C, about pregnancy…about how smart my patient is (she’ll probably write in correcting me on something in this post). But those are the basics. Hep C is the social security of medicine…we worry about it blowing up in the future, but we have this sneaking suspicion that if we take care of things now, things will turn out ok.
secretwave101 
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT BY READING THIS TODAY HAS MADE ME FEEL 100% BETTER! I ALSO HAVE HEP C AND JUST RECENTLY FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT AND WAS AND STILL VERY UPSET ABOUT THE THOUGHT OF BRINGING A BABY INTO THIS WORLD WITH THIS HEP C IT SEEMS SO UNFAIR. I WAS ADDICTED TO HEROIN FOR 7 YEARS AND HAVE BEEN CLEAN FOR 3 YEARS NOW. IT’S BEEN A TOUGH ROAD LET ME TELL YOU AND SOME PEOPLE SAY I’M NOT CLEAN BECAUSE I TAKE METHADONE EVERYDAY BUT IT HAS HELPED ME MAINTAIN MY LIFE REGAIN CUSTODY OF MY SON AND LIVE THE RIGHT WAY. SO, NOW HERE I AM PREGNANT ON METH LIVING WITH HEP C AND THINKING HOW UNFAIR IS IT TO MY UNBORN CHILD TO STACK THE ODDS AGAINST HIM OR HER! THE BABY WILL BE BORN ADDICTED TO METH WHICH THEY WILL SLOWLY WHEEN THE BABY OFF WITHIN 55 HOURS AFTER BIRTH NOW I GOTTA WORRY ABOUT THE CHILD NOW HAVING HEP C IT JUST HURTS ME THAT I LED THAT LIFE AND NOW THIS MANY YEARS NOW I’M STILL PAYING FOR IT YA KNOW? I STRUGGLED WITH NOT KNOWING WHETHER TO HAVE THIS CHILD OR HAVE A ABORTION BUT I FELT LIKE I WASN’T THERE TO RAISE MY SON WHEN HE WAS SMALL DUE TO ME USING DRUGS AND NOW I HAVE A CHANCE TO BE A GOOD MOM AND I WANNA DO THAT REALLY I DO. IT JUST HURTS LIKE HELL TO THINK WHAT I’M PUTTING MY CHILD THROUGH IT SEEMS SO UNFAIR BUT TODAY I JUST CAME FROM THE DOCTORS AND GOT SOME BLOOD WORK DONE TO CHECK MY LEVELS FOR THE HEP C. I HAVEN’T HAD THEM CHECKED IN YEARS MOSTLY BECAUSE I WASN’T SURE WHAT TO EXPECT BUT THE LAST TIME I HAD THEM CHECKED THEY WERE DORMANT IN MY BODY IS WHAT I WAS TOLD LIKE THEY WERE THERE BUT THEY WEREN’T WHATEVER THAT MEANT. WELL I JUST THOUGHT I’D SHARE MY STORY WITH YOU SO YOU CAN LET YOUR PT. KNOW THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE TO WHO ALSO HAVE HEP C AND ARE PREGNANT AND SCARED NOT KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT. READING WHAT YOU WROTE REALLY BROUGHT MY SPIRITS UP TODAY AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. TELL YOUR PT I’LL KEEP HER IN MY PRAYERS!!! I DON’T HAVE ANOTHER E-MAIL ADDRESS I USE MY DAD’S COMPUTER SO I LEFT MY MYSPACE INFO FOR YOU AND I HOPE I DIDN’T BORE YOU WITH MY STORY I JUST NEEDED TO GET IT OUT AND YOUR ACTUALLY THE FIRST PERSON I TOLD ALL OF THIS TO AND I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!!!
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Danielle, maybe you could write me sometime. I too was a heroine addict and although I didn’t plan this, I ended up being on methadone for…going on about 10 years. I say every year that I will get off but I am terrafied of the pain. I just found out that I have hep C as well, I have an amazing man that has loved me & cared for me, put up with me for so many years & accepts me for who & what I am. He has never done drugs. In any case, he wants to marry me, he’s been waiting for almost 7 years now. I ALWAYS wanted a baby, I don’t have any children but I am afraid of the same thing you are. I am 33 now but cannot get enough info on IF I have a baby, will I transfer hep c to him/her?? I get yes, I get no & i have no idea what to do. Please, try to get off the methadone before you end up a lifer like me. My teeth are being destroyed, my liver, my entire body. I JUST found out this year, about the hep c so I have NO IDEA how bad it is. It must have been dormant because I give blood every year & I never tested posative and like I said, its been like 10 years since I stopped using drugs and I thought I made it out without getting anything but I was wrong..anyway, be well, write me if u want to talk, other then my honey, I don’t have many people that I can talk to..
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Yes this makes me feel so much better as well and I had the same probelm as welll with herion.I have been clean for a few years and iam on methodone and taking care of myself and found out I was going to have a baby and I didnot know what to do since I had hepc.The more I read on the net and have talked to my docters it makes me feel so much better now.They have alot better treatment for hepc to where you can get rid of it which I plan to do as well.If you take care of yourself and eat right and workout a few days a week and dont drink or smoke and everyone should know that you should be ok.Stay positive and do the right thing for yourself and you will live a heathly life and your baby too.God bless!
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I contracted hep c at 17 from a friend who left her tools under the bed in my spare room I was cleaning out my house to move and swiped my arm under the bed and got jabbed multiple times I thought life was over, when the results came back positive. however I now 15 years later am in my 12th week of peginterfernon ribavirin and osyilo treatment and results have come but undetected I am so happy I have 6 children all which I concieved and gave birth to while having chronic hep c genotype a1 my viral load only got to 1.5 million and I don’t drink alcohol often maybe 2 or 3 around Christmas and a couple of other special occasions my 6 kids are all very healthy some things are out of our control and you just need to decide how much you will support your baby should the virus be transferred or if you are going to feel worse about yourself because of it and it is hard not to but have hope and good luck with staying clean hopefully one day you can be off methadone too which is really just a different type of drug it takes a lot of strength to just be human with no artificial feelings induced by drugs but it is possible and if your love for your child is strong enough then you will stop because they have to withdraw at birth good luck Danielle and any you need to contact the place you donated blood to and let them know your test was positive for hep c that blood is unusable hun people who get blood transfusions are at risk and if it were me anyone got given my blood id feel terrible they don’t test the blood they just ask on the forms please do this asap so if they have already used it they can chase up the person who received it 🙂 its a long hard road but things can get better if you give your absolute all to getting healthy and cutting anything bad from your body, I had the hardest genotype to clear and odds were less but it was clear in 4 weeks thinking of you all xx
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Amy high my name is gee gee and ive been off drugs for 6 years n i am on clock awaiting my fear of hep c. as well i hear myself in your story:( i believed i got out without a scratch aswell. Well at my methadone clinic. We get regular blood work done and now i have a slightly off liver count and it sounds like hep c and after being on methadone i had gotten pregnant it was not planned, but i had a son he is two and after all that i get a lousy blood work and now after 6 years i may have hep c:( i am afraid for myself, but more my 2 year old son so if i am positive i will get my son tested. It is comforting knowing i am not alone going through this.
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I LIKE TO TYPE IN CAPS TOO
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my baby is in the hospital right now weening off of methadone. I wasn’t on a very high dose but she’s been in the special care nursery for about a month now . It is a very slow process to ween a baby off of methadone and it takes much longer than a few days to accomplish. I just wanted to let you know because i was also unaware of how long my baby would really be in the hospital for. The methadone clinic tells pregnant women that their baby will probably be in for a week or so and it’s just not true. The standard amount of time for a baby to ween is 4 to 6 weeks.
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Hi Danielle. Your post touched me. I am 27, was also an addict for 10 years and am currently on methadone, 4 months pregnant and have HCV. I am terrified and so so sad and guilty. I feel that im an awful person for bringing a baby into this world with a chance of it being infected! Can you please tell me how your pregnancy went and how the baby is? I see that this post is a few years old, so how has the child been since? health wise?
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Hi i to have hep c from a past of drug addiction, i have been clean for 10 years and have a 15month old daughter. i want to let you know that she has no signs of hep c. So please dont worry and try to eat as healthy as you can. I am now expecting my second child at xmas.
I think the best thing would be to protect your children from, your past and enjoy them and love them. you seem to be a good mother and you are doing your best to get off drugs.
Keep it up chick, you will get there.
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hi my name is millie and i am 3mo pregnant. ive been clean for a little over a year and a half. your story made me feel better since today the dr called and told me i tested positive for hep c. i was wondering though did you ever get treated for your hep c? i am so scared that my baby will have it since i have not been treated. im sad because i have been tested and i planned this baby, now i feel irresponsible and undeserving and wonder why it didnt show up until now. i know its not the end of the world but ive worked so hard to get to where im at and now not only am i paying for my past but my baby could too.
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We were ready to adopt a new child into our home from a birthmother that has been on Methadone treatment. I did ALL my research on what effects it would have on the unborn child. So, we were alright to move forward with the adoption. Now we’ve been told that she is active of Hep C and her viral loads are 5 million which is the beginning of the high scale. I am so CONFUSED! I wish someone would just tell me exactly what to do. Some reading says, 18% chance that the baby will have it. OKAY…I can deal with it BUT I HAVE ANOTHER LITTLE PERSON AT HOME TO THINK ABOUT. We know how kids fall and get hurt and they bring their sibling up to mommy or daddy to get a band-aid to the one that hurt. Do I put my little one at risk? Should I back out? WHAT ARE MY CHANCE OF THIS BABY BEING EFFECTED! Tell me some GREAT NEWS!
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Did you adopt?
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Confused Mom,
I liked this comment so much, I’m going to use it to headline the next blog. I’ll put a link to it here when the entry goes up.
Interesting question. Tough situation, but hang in there.
I’ll keep you posted.
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Doc A , i not understand iz’t the hepatitis B dangeras for people pregnant like me….. and how serious this virus?thanks.
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hi!
i feel good after reading all the comment.actually i just found out that i have hep.c.and me and my husband was scared about this bec iam on my 17 weeks of pregnancy.i hope i can read more information about this issue.
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Hello,
My mom has Hep C and beleives that it was transmited to her through a blood transfusion due to loss of blood when i was born. She found out she had the virus when i was 19 because of donating blood. As a teen I did use some of her razors maybe since we shared the same shower but I also grew up with her all my life. Im sure there were many opportunites the virus had to infect me (hoprfully not). I just found out that i am pregnant and was terrified of the thought f bringing a baby into this world with a disease. I have not yet been tested but wil mention it to my doctor whom I have an appt. with tomorrow. I hope I am ok and especially my baby i am 22 a young expecting mother but one who will try her best to live up to her responsibilities. btw my mom is fine gets a fever every once in a while but she is a strong woman and i love her so much!! I wish all of you the best and will keep you in my prayers… Good luck to you all! wich me luck! i will post again when i find out the results. 🙂 just remember that there is always someone that has it worse… and try to appreciate everyone and everything you love today! before it is too late… 🙂
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hello its me again i got the results and i have a clean bill of health so far.. hepatitis c free… I wish u all the best and im sure you all will make great mothers… i have an appt with an ob in 2 weeks… will keep u in my prayers…. 😉
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Thank you so much for this article. I was a heroin addict for years, I worked hard at getting cleaned up September 21 i will be clean for 3 years.
In March I found out i was pregnant! Then last week i found out not only do i have gestational diabetes but i tested positive for the hep c antibodies. About an hour ago i found out i had a active case of hep c. I hate thinking that my little girl will pay for my mistakes. Friday i will go in and talk to the GI doctor and then say a lot of prayers that my baby will be ok.
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I too have hepatitis c from past drug use and am pregnant. I am hoping eveything works out. please say a prAyer for baby and me! Reading this article did make me feel much better.
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I too have hepatitis C I have been drug free for over 8 years. I found out I was positive when I was 6 months pregnant….I was so scared. My son had two pcr rna test at 6 months and 12 months…he was negative…thank god! But I still worry sometimes. I feel so bad that he would ever have to pay for the mistakes I have made. I have since joined a clinical trail and cleared the virus hopefully for good.
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what clinical trial did u do?
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I too have HEP C. I been drug free for 5 years . now I’ve
been pregnant for 7 weeks just today I went to my prenatal care
and the stupit norse told me that I have to do an abortion . I have 6 year trying to have a baby and now god give me one. she told me that now I feel beter with your story thank you so much.
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when the doctor told me that, she scared me.I started to cry caues i did’nt know what to do. she did’nt tell me there was a chance my baby won’t get it.all she told me was to abord it and it hurt cause it’s my first time keeping a baby. I’ve been tring to get pregnent for 6 years now and i keep miss carring and it hurts like hell and im not tring to lose another one. I want this baby really bad so i had to find out if any one else was going though what i was going though so i could talk to cause i feel all alone on this so if any body could relate please write to me. thank you for reading what i have to say.
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hello
i have all your storys and let me tell you they have put a place in my heart im praying for u all i to have an issue ..im not sure if i have hpv but i am with some one who dose i love him so much and will always. here i am pregnant know about two weeks partyed half my live and didnt give a damn about anything i was homless alone no family u name that bad thats what came to me un lucky is what i say ..untill this year 2009 after reading all these comments letters worries it made me see i wasnt alone i to had a question of my own..it is If i have hpv and im pregnant can i get rid of it while being pregnat?. i didnt get an answer yet still browsing …when i came to this site reading all this made me see the hope this site dose alot i want to thank the person that put it up it did wonders…ill soon find out what is in store for me and the baby untill then god bless and hope all is well with wishing u happy holidays ❤ prayers and lots of luck!
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The first poster is the reason why i believe in abortion, why bring a baby in this world that may only suffer, you can’t make mistakes that great and pretend everything is okay, it will end up playing out in your child, and is unfair to be honest why should he be punished for things he didn’t do, if brining that baby into this world is just to prove you’re a good mom your doing it for all the wrong reasons that would in fact prove that you don’t care, i would wait till your fully clean then have a baby.
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Xavier,
Maybe you should read most of these posts before you sit there and say “I would wait till youre fully clean and then have a baby”
OPEN YOUR EYES, all of these women ARE clean… Methadone is a prescription from a doctor and although considered a drug…. a very good friend of mine was on Methadone and delivere, and her son came out NOT addicted and very healthy…
The reason I looked this up is because my best friend has Hep C afte being addicted to heroin for 6 years and we found out yesterda that she is 7weeks pregnant and of course we were worried about the Hep C getting transmitted… now we both feel much better and thank you for that.
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Xavier,
You are uninformed about methadone and addiction too obviously. I feel people that don’t know about either have no business making comments about it. Do you know what abortion is Like? They rip the arms and legs off of the baby with a vacuum. Or partial birth abortions they just kill the baby when its bein born. Yeah that’s better than being born to a mother who is now sober. Too bad you were not an abortion.
sincerely,
pregnant on methadone
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wow, i hope nobody listens to a word xavier says that is so rediculous, i got high with my first kid and hes just fine, definately im not proud of it but ive been to treatment and worked through it. Im astounded that you think killing a baby, is better than a slim chance that there could be a medical or mental issue, what a bunch of crap!!! I was reading these blogs because i just found out that i have hep c after 4 years clean and im 9 weeks pregnant, im totally excited about the pregnancy, dissapointed that breastfeeding is probably out, but the odds are really good that the baby will be just fine, better than 90 % chance to be negative. would you rather have never been born? ugh im disgusted!
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xavier was very negative about the hole thing and spoke out of anger i belive where all here for each other and that should not be the last thing any one reads when i read that i felt like crap that person defantly has issues and must have a secrite of his or her own if there on this site so if xavier would please take a moment to think postive that would be wonderful get ur head out of the grass ..again much love to all
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I think you are all very brave and honest, about your Hep c. I admire that. I have Hep C as well. blood transfusion. I am fortunate to have had the treatments work, and my numbers are so low, it’s considered “cured”. I still go for year tests just to check. I beilieve God has a purpose for each baby and He does for your baby. I read that there is a lot out there even if your baby has hepc. I’m glad you deceided to keep your baby, You will be blessed.
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if any body has any info about nursing with hep c let me know please, will pray for you all. Thanks
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Please see this link on the topic.
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I just found out today the my boyfriend and my son’s father has hep c. He is only 36 years old. I am only 24 years old. I want another baby from him. We have a beautiful son who is 5 years old and doesn’t know daddy is “sick”. I want to know if by some chance I got pregnant if me or my new baby would get it? I’m not worried about me getting it. I’m worried about my new baby getting it. My mom has hep c. I know the risk and the safe way to handle this problem, but like I said I want another baby, but in all honestly he doesn’t want another baby, even before he found out he was/is “Sick”. I want to know how to found out if I was to get pregnant if my baby would catch it? By the way we think the way he got it is because his ex-girlfriend may have had it. They broke up before she found out if she had it or not, but she died and we never found out if she was “sick” or not. So if anyone reads this and can tell me any info please email me at HeavensAngel6555@yahoo.com. I would greatly appreicate it. Thanks.
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Theresa,
Very sorry to hear about your situation. Tough one.
You can test yourself for the virus. If you and your boyfriend aren’t sharing needles, chances are you’re ok. Aside from total platonic abstinence and never doing IV drugs together, there isn’t much you can do to protect yourself from his Hep C.
As for your baby: you may not have it, so transmission from you to the baby is zero if you aren’t infected, and very low if you are. How likely you are to transmit the virus if you ARE infected depends on your viral load. It isn’t likely that your OB will want to prophylactically do a C-section, but that is an option if strict infection control is the goal.
But you aren’t even prego yet. First step is to get yourself tested. Then get pregnant. Then go from there.
Oh, and odds that your baby would get Hep C from Dad are also low. Not impossible. Low.
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Hi,
I have never been and IV drug user or have I ever partaken in Class A drugs – I have however used the occasional marijuana. When I was Pregnant with my second child my Dad who is infected with HIV and Hep C fell very ill and was in the infectious disease clinic at hospital at the time he was admitted I was actually giving birth to my Son – when I come home from hospital is when I found that my Dad was in Hospital, I went to see him and got the key to his house (altough my dad was a drug user he hated having a messy house) so I thought I would go and clean his house expecting him to come home from hospital he had a pile of washing to do so i decided to take it home and do it – When I put a load of washing on I was pricked by a needle scared and afraid I rashed to hospital with my 2 day old son and 2 year old boy they put me on a course of HIV preventative medication and took a blood test. When I got my results the Blood test I found out I was infected with Hep C I was however allowed to Breastfeed as the chances of passing it on were very low I am now 35 weeks pregnant with my third child – And very concerened and unhappy as I cannot believe something so evil could happen to me and potentially affect our new baby. I wish somebody could just give me a straight answer instead or advising that “we will just have to wait and see” – This frustrates me, why is there nothing that I can do to prevent the slightest possiblity of passing it to my child. Xavier’s comment is rude and ignorant and it is people like that, that makes me believe we live in horrid world if the answer to everything is just get rid of it because Xavier having a baby cause it may suffer is not reason enough to destroy the chance that it may not.
From Disappointed Mum
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By the way the day after spending the night in hospital because of my prick the next day my father passed away from Hep C infection that shut down his liver and then eventually shut his body down.
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Hi, I am concerned.
A family was got mucus in the eyes from a persson, and
later was test for hep-c–positive.
Yes, that’s evil and no cure???
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Not that I’m impressed a lot, but this is a lot more than I expected when I found a link on SU telling that the info here is quite decent. Thanks.
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I’m 19 years old and 19 weeks pregnant. 3 weeks ago I found out I was positive for hepatitis c. I never used any form of drugs in my life. I never received blood from anyone. I don’t sleep around. (Nor have I had rough sexy). My mother doesn’t have hepatitis c. I don’t use others razors, toothbrushes, etc. I don’t work in a healthcare setting; never been exposed to blood. A few days ago, they took my blood again so they could check my viral load. They said they would call me back thursday but I’m dying waiting. This justs seems so unfair to me. How did I get it? I don’t know what to do. What are the chances that the test was wrong? I don’t know how to tell my bf; I planned on waiting until I got the viral load test to see how long I had it.
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Scared,
A viral load won’t tell you how long you’ve been infected. It only tells you how much virus you have. Sometimes the load is high just after infection, but now always.
At this point, if you story is totally true, your BF is the highest probability for how you became infected. You may think he is a saint, but based on the exposure history you describe, he’s the only reasonable possibility (or some other sexual contact within the past 9 months or so).
That said, depending on the type of test done on your blood, there IS a possibility of a false-positive. Without getting too specific (and boring), screening tests are set up to have a low rate of false-negatives because it is most important – for a first test – to not tell someone they’re ok when they aren’t. However, that first test may have a fairly high false-positive rate. Nobody cares about that for a screening test. As long as we catch everyone who DOES have the disease, we can then use a confirmatory test that has a low false-positive rate later.
In the case of Hep C, the initial test has around a 97% chance of catching the disease if you are infected with it, but also has a fairly high false-positive rate. So, you’re doing the right thing to get a viral load, because this can confirm if you really do have the disease. You’re also doing the right thing to wait to tell your BF. Although impossible, it would be best if you didn’t allow yourself to freak out yet…until you have a confirmatory test.
I don’t want to get your hopes up about the false-positive thing. Odds are better that you actually are infected than that the test was falsely positive. But for now, they’re just odds. You don’t – statistically speaking – really know much of anything.
Keep us posted.
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Hi there,
I am in the same position at the moment. i am 24 weeks pregnant and Hep C has come up as positive in my blood results. I am freaking out because i have never been with anyone but my current partner and we have been together for 4 years and he doesnt have it. I have never done drugs, or alcohol, nor do i smoke or share anything with anyone. I just dont understand. The only thing that i have done was do blood tests during my pregnancy and thats when it showed up. I dont know if i may have caught it from the hospital (during blood tests, etc). I feel for you coz i am in exactly the same situation.
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Same boat as you how did you get on after you had the baby did you need treatment.I’m just devistated at this point I’ve 8weeks left until my little girl is due
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Just want to say that I have a daughter that will be 2 on saturday, and have 19 weeks pregnant. I did not know during the first pregnancy that I was positive for hep c and i found out 2 days after giving birth. FOR THE RECORD. My lil princess has a perfect bill of health. No HEP C. The doctor did tests from 1 month to 18 months. And she is negative. THANK GOD> it is amazing how a mothers body does the many things it does to protect their offspring. BY THE WAY I DID BREASTFEED FOR 15 MONTHS as well. thanks for all the comments. it is nice to hear from people in the same situation
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i am 25 years old and i just recently found out that i am hep c postitive. I am also 10 weeks prego. i havent went back yet to the doctor to find out about the viral load, i guess thats what they tested for. My obgyn called and said that i had tested positive for hep c and that they needed me to come back in and do some more blood test asap. So i assume that they are testing my viral load they didnt really say much about it . anyways i go back in a week for my prenatal visit and i assume they willl give me my results then. I am so scared that my baby will get it. This will be my first child and me and my fiance have tried to get pregnant for 2 years and now that it happened i find out that im hep c positive. when i found out i just cried and cried for 2 days straight. i couldnt believe that it had happened to me. I am a recovering addict i have been clean for going on 2 years now but i did used to use needles for years. now i completely regret everything that i done but its to late now. I always heard of all these people having it around where i am from and people talking about it and i always thought that i was invisible i guess but boy was i wrong. Anyways i am just rambling on it just feels good to talk about it to someone. My fiance hasnt been tested yet but is going to. My biggest thing is i am so worried about giving it to my child. I actually have nightmares about it i just dont want my child to suffer for my mistakes in life. Thanks for listening if anyone has any information on this topic feel free to email me i am always up for some good news
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I jsut found out I am Hep C positive and I am 14 weeks pregnant with a nearly 15 month old son. My OBGYN just informed me that the Hep. C test was not given to me by my first OBGYN and I am so mad. I have never been an intreveineous drug user, I have a tattoo and piercings. At first the lab tech told me not to worry it could be a false positive and I was fairly sure it was too until the results came back today and it was a real positive. Now the real wait begins to find out if I have the actual virus in my body and the most agonizing wait of all “Is my son infected?” & “Will my unborn child contact it?” I breast fed my first child and I had planned to breast feed this baby too but now I am so scared and unsure. I have nothing constructive to add but I agree that the wait and see is killing me.
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I am wondering, my fiance is Hep C positive due to past drug use, we’re wanting to start a family as soon as we’re married, is there anything to worry about – possibly passing his Hep C to our child / children?? I should also state that I am negative for Hep C and have been tested regularly since we’ve been together.
Would greatly appreciate any knowledge of this subject that anyone could pass along to me.
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i jus wanted to say reading this article has made me feel a whole lot better, thanks. i have been trying to have a baby and i am now a month late and could possibly be pregnant. the only bad news is i just recently found out i have hep c.
this article has made me feel so much better bout bringing my little one into this world
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In 2000, about 3 months after the birth of my first son, I went to the doctors as I was really tired all the time. I was diagnosed with Hep C. I was very stupid before I got pregnant when my then BF (father of my son) used to inject me with speed when we went clubbing at weekends. Its definately not something i’m proud of and its one of the biggest regrets in my life. The way I see it though, everything happens for a reason, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if my past hadn’t happened the way it did.
I left my Son’s father when I found out I was pregnant as I found out his drug habit had worsened (he had began taking heroin I think). He sold all my stuff, so I kicked him out and never looked back… and I never took a drug again. I have been clean for over 10 years now.
Almost 10 years on, I have a fantastic son who I breastfed for the first few months when he was born who is Hep C free (he has been tested twice) and a brilliant husband who I married 4 months ago. He is a great dad to my son and has been so supportive of my virus.
The last time I had a check up was about 2 years ago and I was told that my condition is stable and my liver is only very mildly damaged.
I am now 12 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. I am not so worried about passing it on to the baby as my 1st son didn’t contract the virus in my last pregnancy, and my midwife has told me that she has never heard of a baby catching it from the mother whilst in the womb.
I was talking through our birth plan with my husband the other night though and he said something that really upset me. One of the questions on the booklet was do we want the baby passed onto my chest straight away, or do we want it cleaned up first. I said I wanted it straight onto my chest, but my husband said that it will be covered in my blood and he doesn’t want to catch Hep C from it. I was so upset. He made me feel like a leper. It was so unlike him to say something like that.
So really, I would like to ask someone’s advice… Can Hep C be caught this way? Should we have the baby cleaned first and is it still safe to breast feed?
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It can absolutely be caught this way, unfortunately. You could do a viral load check to see if the risk is high.
Either way, people will need to be gowned up and very careful around so much blood that does have Hep C virus. Your husband can easily gown up like the others in the room, however, and be a much a part of the delivery as he normally would be.
Your midwife might have other opinions on the issue, but this is how it would happen on most OB wards.
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Also wanted to say that for the past 8 years or so, I have been asking my consulant about a cure to rid my body of the virus. But he said there is only the combined interferon and ribavirin treatments available and it’s only cures about 40% of patients who take it (this is probably because the majority of people who take it drop out of the treatment because the side effects from the drugs are so bad). He kept telling me that as the virus isn’t doing my body any damage, he sees no point in putting me through the pain of the treatment as it’d make me very ill. At the time I was a single parent, so couldn’t take care of my son if I was suffering the side effects of the treatments.
My consultant said to keep checking for new treatments as medical scientists were developing new ones, however I am yet to find any evidence of this.
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I am 25 years old and just had an amazing baby girl. During birth I had to have a hysterectomy. My husband and I do not have Hep C. We are looking into adopting because I have always wanted a large family. My cousin may be pregnant and she is infected. She is not in a good place in her live and is planing on giving the baby up for adoption. I told her we would adopt the baby if in fact she was pregnant. I know the chances are slim of the baby actually contracting the virus, but is it worth the risk of bringing a baby into the home that may or may not infect my child??
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Dear Ann, Your story rings true for me. I am considering adopting my nieces baby. I have been infertile for yrs and now at 38 this feels like a chance in a lifetime. My niece just found out about the hep-c and is three months pregnant. I want this baby so bad but feel so scared! I am afraid to show my husband what i have read because i so dont want him to expect the worst. This information has been more encouraging than i thought it would be. Do you have an update on how things turned out for you? Any thoughts? Will i be able to find out anything during the pregnancy? Anything i should ask? Thank you for your story!
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Hi Jennifer,
Well, as it turned out my cousin was not pregnant. She may be now, but she also likes to make things up, so who knows. She has straightened her life out and if she is pregnant she decided to try to keep the baby. We did however adopt a beautiful girl from foster care. She was 2 when she came to us. We are currently on the path of a private adoption. We just finished the first round of things and will begin our homestudy at the end of the month. Wish us luck that a wonderful birth mom will choose us . ❤
Good luck, and remember, if this doesn't work out, there are always other paths to building your family.
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I wanted to leave a comment for gr8mom23gr8kids. I unfortunately had a drug problem as well for a little less then a year. I shared needles with my best friend and boyfriend, who both have Hepatitis C from using dirty needles over and over again. I found out when I was in the hospital last year for something else that I definitely had the virus. Unfortunately I was so depressed after getting out of the hospital and having numerous surgeries that I went right back to using. I moved away from my home and hooked up with new people that too used drugs. The guy I met I ended up being with. He also had the virus. But he also told me that his son’s mother whom he used to be with for a long period of time never did drugs or anything of that sort. They had a strong healthy baby boy that doesn’t have the virus, and neither does the mother. So there is a chance that even though your fiance has Hepatitis C that you and your baby won’t get it. I just want to add that I have been clean for 4 months now with no help from methadone, every once in awhile when I get a craving I will take a small piece of suboxin. But I just want to let people know that there is hope for people who have drug problems. I can’t even tell you how I got started, and am very ashamed that I ever did something like that. I stopped and never looked back. I know I don’t have alot of clean time, but I can tell you that that is a life style I never want to experience ever again. I was on this site because I am having a pregnancy scare right now, I can only pray that God will let me have (if Im pregnant) a happy and healthy baby. And I too believe that everything happens for a reason.
Thankyou for listening
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Im pregnant, not a drug user, I dont even drink alcohol. I work in a psyc ward and a man affected with Hep C spat in my face. I am now waiting til after my baby is born to see if I have Hep C. So my child might suffer not from my wrong doings but from some man who liked to share needles in his past. Although it is a low risk but the risk is still there that I may have it, it is always in the back of your mind that you might get it. The virus is mainly blood to blood but it can still be carried in sperm, vaginal discharge, saliva, urine and faeces. So even though its not always found in them it can be. So if your partner has it, why would you risk your self contracting the disease. Everyone has a friend who something never happen too. Never think your that special that nothing will happen to you. There are condoms for a reason. The reason Hep C and other diseases are so common is because people ignore the facts. Please when your children are older..share with them. Let them learn from your mistakes..why waste your lessons in life, pass this on to them for them not live with the regrets that some of you obviously are sharing. If you have it please be mindful of other people, dispose of personal items. And to WORRIED MOMMY you have to remember for someone else who does not have the virus it is scary. But your husband does have the possibility of already having it anyway. When your immune system is low, the virus may not be dormant, remember it can be passed through vaginal fluids. Try and put your self in his position and imagine if you had the virus and your husband had risk of giving it too you. I wish all you ladies luck, I pray all your children are healthy. And hopefully your labors are quick..and hopefully mine hehe.
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I am heart broken. I always wanted kids and was even contimplating egg donation or becoming a surragate. But becuase of my selfish ways as a teen I AM GOING TO PAY FOR THIS MY WHOLE LIFE.
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Hi all,
I was diagnosed with Hep C almost 2 yrs. ago in August. I have never used drugs or done anything high risk. I became very sick a little more then two yrs. ago. I had many endoscopies (camara scope down ur throat), 3 blood transfusions and two surgeries to correct my GI bleeding problems. 4 months later I became deadly ill and was diagnosed with Hep C. At the time I had a beautiful 15 month old baby girl at home. I was tested for Hep C during my pregnancy and was of negative. My husband was tested after my diagnoses and is negetive. There is no doubt in my mind that I was infected during my medical ordeal. Soon after, I was so physically and emotionally ill that I fell into a deep – deep depression. I was in and out of the hospital for the next yr. due to severe nausea, Liver pain and inflamation, dehydration and SEVERE depression and anxiety. After a long battle up hill, I am finally feeling like my old self. I took back control of my life (I guess time does help heal all wounds). Initially my V.L. was 5,000,000+ and my ALT and AST were off the charts. I recently mustard the courage to get everything retested, I get my results on the 1/26. I have to thank you cause all your comments and statistics do make me feel better. Often times I find myself day dreaming of being pregnant and having a baby. My inital illness and then Hep C diagnoses, robbed me of being there for my now 3 yr old little girl. I missed soooo much and feel cheated that I can’t go back. I have voice messages from her to my cell phn. (while I was in the hospital) where all she could say at the time was “MaMa Oh Oh” and later “I la you”. I can’t bring myself to delete them. I missed her first whole words and phrases. I missed her development progress for almost an entire year. All that also contributed greatly to my depression. I felt so much pitty for myself and felt so cheated in many ways!!! In one way modern medicine had saved my life, but had taken my life as I knew it going forward. I thought I wouldn’t live long enough to see her become a Mom. And God help me what if I passed it on to her or my husband. I was tormented by my every thought of “what if”. It took alot of time and work to silence the “what if’s” from my mind. But through faith and hard work I can finally begin to enjoy life again. Don’t get me wrong not every day or moment is a rose garden, but the bad days are fewer and further apart.
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I am very distraught to say that I was diagnosed with Hep C after 3 months of drug use and a back-yard tattoo and have had Hep C for less than a year…I was tested once negative in April 09 and then was positive in July. I have had severe weight loss and am now starting to feel super tired and achy. My husband and I are both 25 and we want to start a family soon but I am curious if I should take treatment first. I do not know a whole lot about treatment and I am just curious if it does make the disease go away and stop affecting your liver or if it just “buys time”. Everyone here is awesome for talking about this subject as many people don’t want to discuss it and it’s so helpful to express my fear.
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Great discussion, everyone. So sorry to hear of those who have the disease.
I just wanted to quickly respond to the last comment: You should see a doctor who can test you to see what your viral load is. If you are have active Hep C, I’d bet your doc will want you to get treatment before pregnancy. As you might see from this ongoing discussion, many people are able to have children even though they have the disease. But usually, this is because they have very low viral loads at the time.
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Dear Heather,
I understand your anguish my advice would be that if u see ue G.I. first and have ur ALT, AST, and ur Viral Load checked. If ur Viral Load is less then 2 Million and u dnt show signs of liver scaring. I would say move forward with ur family expansion plans. Hep C treatment is hell and very toxic to ur body. So if I was in ur place I wouldn’t want all those toxins in me just before I get pregnant. The only positive thing about Hep C is that it progresses slowly. So if u were not infected too long ago u probably have a good amount of time on ur side. Just remember NO ALCOHOL AND NO TYLENOL! Try to take in as little meds (of course unless they’re medically needed) chemicals, and toxons as possible. Remember everything comes out the liver so be good to urself!
Good Luck!
God Bless!
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Hello,
I started seeing this guy that has hep c we have not had sex yet because mostly I am scared to catch it! He is a great guy and we have been seeing each other for a few months now. He understands the fear. I want to be with him but im so scared. I have a 2 year old lil boy and dont want anything to harm him either. I just want to say that your comments have helped me and Im not as scared or worried anymore. Thank you and Good luck to all of you!!
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hi im glad i found this sight i only have 2 months togo till my daughter is due i also have hep c all the doctors have been telling me that there is only a 5 per cent chance my baby can catch the virus but i am still concerned and worryed she is going to get it threw my stupitaty from my drug use i have been clean now for neally 4 years i feel helthy although i still have the virus in mybody im praying she doesnt get it if she does i will never forgive myself
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I have known I have Hep C for about 5 years now. I do believe I found out almost immediately after being infected. I was only tested once, and that was during an ER visit due to not feeling well. They did blood work, and when my liver enzymes were elevated, they did a hepatitis screen. I didn’t have insurance then, and I still don’t, unfortunately. For that reason, I haven’t told any other doctors I’ve seen that I have it. (I know that I should, but I’m concerned about “pre-existing conditions”, and not being accepted by an insurance company when I finally can get insurance again.)
I have had blood work done since then (maybe even more than once), due to another ER visit for an allergic reaction. I was told my blood work was “fine”. I’m assuming that my liver enzymes were no longer elevated.
I’m 34 years old, and am engaged to a wonderful man that I’ve been with for 4 years. I have a 9 year old child from a prior relationship, but I would love to give my boyfriend a child. I’m getting older, so I don’t have much more time to have babies. He understands, and never EVER complains, but I still feel horrible. My child also has been asking for a sibling for years.
I have read there’s about a 5% chance of passing it to a baby, which sounds relatively low. But, that works out to about 1 out of 20 births, which doesn’t sound as low.
Besides my boyfriend (who doesn’t have it), no one else knows I have this horrible problem. I feel tarnished, tainted, disgusting…among other things. I don’t know what to do. I’m in such confusion. If not for this, I’d definately give him a child. But, I worry CONSTANTLY about this dilemma. And since I’m about to turn 35, I’m running out of time. Most others that have commented have found comfort in this article, but it just made me more anxious.
Dr. A ~ is there any more info you can give that can me to take me from teetering over my situation, and help me lean more one way than the other?
Thank you & good luck to everyone with their illness and pregnancies!
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hi im a 33yo mum of a 12 yo daughter with also a daughter on the way i am due on the 29th of next month i have had hep c for about 4 years now when i found out i was depressed i hate myself for getting it i was injecting just about every chance i could which was jsut about everyday i am discussed in myself for doing it when i found out i had hep c i was so depressed and still am i think back at my past and wish i could turn my life around if i knew no what i didnt no back then i wouldnt of even started let alone hang around all the ppl that were useing i am so worried my unborn daughter is going to get it from my mistake when i was stupied afew years ago i no its only 5 per cent chance but there is still a chance my unborn baby grl can catch it i wont feel any better till i no my baby is safe and out of the woods i havent started treatment as yet but will be doing so after i breastfeed my liver count is stable for now my liver was 490 last year and it has now dropped back down to 31 which i am very happy about i am worried about the treatment but if its going to make me healthy again then i am ready for the challenge ive heard all sorts of storys about the treatment and am scared as hell but also prepered for it i have a wounderfull partner who is very supportive of what i have i was scared to tell him but we are getting threw it im glad i have him in my life he is a great person and i am glad i have found him thanx for everyones time will keep everyone posted
raven
xox
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I am a recovering heroin addict I’ve been clean for 2 years 1 month and 25 days and on sat. i went to the doctors and they told me that i have hep c and i had a baby 3 years ago and i don’t know if i was infected then. i also have a 9 year old daughter too. i am so terrified that my perfect little baby girl has it. i kind a feel like i have got what i deserve?? i feel so dirty and gross. my husband is very supportive and he has to go and get tested because we shared needles. what are the chances that our baby has it?? will she be okay and healthy?? i don’t want her to pay for the mistakes that i’ve made. i can handle everything else as long as my baby’s will live a long healthy and happy life. i’m so ashamed and horrified i always thought that oh no not me i’ll be fine but i guess i was way off. i try to think positive but wow. well thank you all for your time
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hi hollie i no how you are feeling i also was a user for afew years but i was useing ice,cocain as well as the goie im also scared my month old daughter will pay for my stupied mistakes i made over the years ive been told theres only a 5 per cent chance she can get it but that 5 per cent is still scary for me i also feel dirty but also ashamed i have this disese i just wish i could turn back the time and do things so differantly im going toget my little one tested at 18 months cause thats when you can find out if thay are carring it im praying she doesnt she shouldnt have to pay for my mistakes if you ever need to talk email me here and i will send you my addy take care mate and try to think possative hun thats all we can do atm
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thank u all for ur stories!!! they helped me calm my nerves. I am also a recovering addict,iwas addicted to meth,i have been clean for only 4 months,found out i was pregnant a month ago and also have hep c. i was scared 2 death. all of u are in my prayers . i know i will get threw all of this,i just want to be a good mother.u can find me on facebook if any wants 2 chat. ashley swinney, or @ yahoo. swinneyashley30@yahoo.com
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Hi everyone,
i am 20 years old and well… i was only googling this because i too got diagnosed 2 months ago with the hep c virus.
i like some others never injected, shared razors, had unprotected sex more than a few times. when i found out i just cried (and to be honest i didnt even know what hep c was).
I got pregnant when i was 17 and had all my bloods done and i was negative for hep c,(i chose to have an abortion only because i was suffering with PTSD & ANXIETY, at the time and did not want to bring a child i couldnt look after in this world,pls keep in mind i do not have any of these issues anymore) so ANYWAY that means that i have caught this virus within the last 2 years… in the last two years i have had a tattoo and a few piercings which were all done at a tatt shop. and though i havnt used anyone elses razor i have been sharing my house and maybe they have used mine. however i got it doesnt matter as much as when i first found out im thinking that well…
i have hep c… i accept that… this is how im going to deal with it… this is what i can do about it… this is how i will become a stronger person for it…
Now my thinking and my attitude are all good and well, i have an amazing fiance and i will be finished my youth work course at the end of this yr, everything is fine…
my fiance is 30 so yes there is quiet an age gap and i have always wanted a child and always wanted to be a young mum and my fiance is getting older so right about now as we see it would be a perfect time to start planning to have a baby… BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HEP C, im not sure how i would cope if i was to pass on the hep c to my partner or my baby. This article has helped me but it is still on my mind as to what if my baby was on of those in the 5% to get this hep c.
Im still on a waiting list for treatment and yes i do wish to treat it but im not sure when to start, im thinking if i ever wish to have my own child, well here is my opportunity before my body is filled with nasty chemicals.
i have read the comments about seeing what your viral load is, i may go to my gp and ask if she can do that.
i think it has helped me alot reading everybody elses situation and that im not alone… so thankyou all for that. 😀
im a big believer in what you put out to the universe you get back and that it all happens for a reason we are all here to serve a purpose one person can make a difference and whatevers meant to be will be…
so ill hold my faith and keep my head held high and put my resarch and own thoughts to my fiance, i think that now would be the best time if any (of course i would like to check my viral load) i put my trust in the universe that they will never give something to someone that they cant handle…
would love to hear everyones opinions as to what they think about anything i have written today and if anyone knos any extra info that may help me please comment
your all amazing !!! its most important that when times get there hardest to never give up fighting for what you want. and the hardest way is always the best because it makes you better 😀
lots of love to you all… no human is perfect we all make mistakes please forgive yourselfs for anything you may hold guilt towards and you will find it easier to forgive others show empathy and compassion and u will find so much love in yourselves….
please dont regret your past or wish u could change it because it made you who you are today… believe me when i say theres not another like you and we are all perfect in our own ways..
IF YOU ARE HERE U READ IT ALL THANKYOU I NO IT WAS LONG…
thanx 4 ure time…
😀 it makes me smile!
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hi ,
i am 1 month prgnant and i was just diagnosed with hepatitis b from my gynic doctor. i am so worried my husband is also very much concerned about my baby . what are the chances to transfer this disease to the new born iam so much confused and worried . shou.d consult the GP for this disease. thaNSK IN ADVANCE.
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hi there well it has been 6 months since i had my daughter im still actully scared that she may have hep c was wondering if anyone can tell me what are the chances that she can be clear?????? i no she has to have a blood test at 18 months but how long after that?????Im so scared that if she does have it i will never forgive myself ive been pretty depressed about it and very scared so i hope someone can help me with my question thanx
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I like this article too, but I still have so many questions that only a doctor can answer. I have NEVER done any drugs, let alone be addicted. This disease just happened to me, and I don”t know why yet because I don’t have insurance. I can only get Medicaid if I am pregnant or my husband takes the money we are saving for a house and blows it on junk quickly. I was born with a dream, a dream of being one thing in my life, a mother. I need to know that that dream is not shattered, but so far it seems like it is. From what I read, Hepatitic C NEVER goes away. It feels like I was diagnosed with cancer. I am only 26 years old and I have basically been told that I SHOULDN’T have kids. I don’t like this at all and I don”t know what to do. A life without kids is something I can’t see…
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Amanda
I know what your going threw I am 30 and I too have never done drugs or anything to get Hep c. I am a housewife with 2 kids and another on the way and was just told that I have Hep C. Luckly I have insurance or at least for now. I am so scared for my baby and the rest of my family. I wonder how the doctors are just now catching it and if I should get my other children tested. My kids are my life and I worry about leaving them motherless. I just pray all the time and tell GOD that if this is his plan than work threw me. I think I am to raise awareness threw my example. I pray that you will be able to have the children you need because they are what life is for.
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Hi everyone….
My brother just found out about a week ago, that he has hep c. I am very concerned because we live in the same house, and i have 2 small children and one on the way. I have read a lot about the disease, but i am still in the dark about how it can be transmitted. I know that it is a blood to blood transmittion, but i also read that it can be found in saliva and urine??? Is this true? I just really need to know how to protect my children, myself, and my unborn child from gettin this disease?? Anyone that could help answer this, i would greatly appreciate it!! You all are in my prayers!!
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I have a 3yearold daughter I am getting married in a few short months to a wonderful supportive man who excepts me and loves me the way I am I have Hep C and recently just found out I’m pregnant I’m Always tired I have no energy and I’m so confused and have no idea what to do I’m thinking about abortion but don’t know if I could abort our child especially after already having a healthy baby girl who is perfect healthy and i was infected threw my pregancy with her there is a 5% chance of the baby getting it from mother but now I am always exhausted I have a hard time keeping up with my lil one, work, my house, and my soon to be husband. I was planning on starting treatment as soon as the new drug came out for hep c which is now July 2011 I wanna be healthy with my next child I don’t want to have 2 children going threw treatment being very sick and unable to take care of my kids because I am to sick I really wanna get this treatment and have high hopes of it working i just am so confused and don’t know what to do..I would also like to say that I too have never used ivdrugs but me ex was infected with hep c I lived with him and was unaware of his virus so i never toke precautions So all I can say to women that live with infected partners is just be careful my fiance does not have hep c and I pray it will stay like we just have to take precautions..
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Hi. I have hep c due to my past drug addiction too and I just found out that I’m pregnant. I have been really upset because I don’t want an innocent child to pay for my bad choices in my past. This has really helped me. I’ve been looking all over the world wide web for answers and the words they all use had me so confused. I didn’t understand. But this doctor really broke it down into terms I could understand. So, this made me feel better. Of course, the fear is still going to be here but it’s good to know that the chances of him/her not having it are higher than the chances of him/her having it. Thanks to all the brave ladies who shared their story. I too was a heroin addict. I have been clean for 18 months with no methadone or anything. The program that I entered through the Court system refused any substance to replace the other substance and sent me to several different rehabs/half-way houses so I could completely come off the heroin and morphine. I am very grateful to have a second chance at life. I wish all of you the best. And it is possible to really be clean and serene without methadone or anything else.
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Oh, and by the way, it is very hard to catch hep c without a needle being involved. I mean if you see a hep c positive person bleeding you should not come in contact with the blood, of course. My baby’s father doesn’t have it and I do. I caught it through dirty needles and really that’s the only way to catch it.
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Hi all I just wanted to say that after many test the doctors say that I don’t have Hep C. They say it is very rare for a test to show up as positive then later say negitive so I had to do a few but they all came back good. I keep praying for the people with Hep. C and pray for the children that could possible get infected. I hope they come up with a cure soon. So to everyone reading this I say keep your faith and GOD will take care of it all.
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im 26 yrs old i just found out i have hepatitis c, im a medical assistant and im pretty sure i got infected by a needle stick, i dont drink alcohol, or smoke or do drugs, i felt so bad when i found out and i cried for a whole week, i have a boyfriend but i havent told him because im waiting on my viral load results. i dont have kids but it just hurts me that i might not be able to have one, after reading everyone’s comment i feel better, i hope one day i can have at least one healthy little boy or girl…
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I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your website. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme? Excellent work!
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Hello everyone…
I recently expiermented with Heroin, I was sharing a needle with my ex for 6 mths, even though he washed it in bleach, that didnt help any cuz I found out I am positive for Hep C. I regret ever using, at the time, I had lost everything, including my father to a overdose and the easy way out of my life was using. I was on pain meds for 6 years and got off and my dr. had me on suboxone, detox off of that and was clean until the heroin came around and when I had got with my b/f (well, ex b/f now) he had brought sum heroin around and i tryed it, then he told me that shooting it was the greatest feeling ever, so I did it!!! I loved it, it felt as if I had no worries…But then i felt so guilty afterwards, I always told myself that i would never ever do Herion. So i have been clean from everything for a year now and found out i have HEP C, that killed me to hear those words..I am so mad with my self for my stupid decision that I had made, its no one elses fault except mine..I have been to G.I. DOC and was going to get put on meds, well before my appt came, I found out that i am almost 11 weeks pregnent.. I am so scared.. I have talked to my doc and he says their is like a 1 and 4 chance that I could give it to my baby..Im not sure what to do..i have been thinking about abortion, but then i think thats not the right way to go.. mY RESULTS FROM THE BLOOD RESULT SAY I AM DEFINTLY (+) FOR HEP C AND THAT MY RESULTS ARE IN THE 11.0 RANGE WHICH IS REALLY HIGH.. CAN SOME ONE PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF MY BABY GETS IT WILL THEY BE PUT ON THE MEDS ALSO…
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I am almost 13 weeks pregnant and tested pos for hcv the doctor did more tests for liver function and such and said they were all good I’am still somewhat scared of passing it on to baby as well as my husband who has never done drugs (we have had sex when I was at the end of my menstrual cycle) I got mine from sharing needles I was an IV drug user from 18 to 21 when I met my husband, I have been clean since june 06. My husband knows about my past and loves and accepts me still which helps a lot I cant imagine dealing with all this with out his support, I find it encouraging to hear stories from so many women who are going through similar situations and having healthy hcv free children thank you all for sharing you’r stories. I pray none of our babies have to pay for our mistakes…
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I am also one of the women who have just found out they have Hep C and also pregnant. I’m worried about the baby getting contracted with the virus. This blog has helped me mostly than any other. I’m going to see the Infectious Diesease doctor on the 14th and i’m searching up on this to know what questions I should have. So thank you so much this has been very helpful!
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hello ladies ,
well im 20 years old and im 11 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child ,i have a 2 year old son. Today i got a letter in the mail from my doctor about my blood test results and it said that it came out positive for Hep C antibodies and to come in the the office immediatly . i instantly was like ‘WHAT?? my mind was racing 1000 miles an hr. ive heard of Hepatitis diseases but not into detail i instantly though it was a STD , then my husband told me his father has Hep C and he was scared that maybe he caught it from him because he thinks he touch his blood in a pervious occation and then he couldve gave it to me . i was like but WHAT IS HEP C?? we googled it and we found its a disease that affects the liver and can later maybe turn in liver cancer ,so i started crying . im a healthy person u no ,i dont smoke,i dont drink the only drug ive used was marijuana but ive quit that for the past 3 years. so long stort short i go to the docs today after recieving the letter and the doctor told me the test says i have Hep C antibodies but does not say i have it so she orderd another blood test to check if i actually do have it ,she said that some results come out wrong so i have to go next week for the results! im soooo scaredd , im trying to have faith in God but i dont no im like what are the chances that this test can be wrong usually they are right but of coarse i am prayingggg to God it is wrong or if it isent i prat that my body only had the antibodies of the Heb C and then cured it .. im scaredd i take care of myself, when i was pregnant with my son Heb C never.came up it was.only for this pregnancy ,i dont want to infect my unborn baby (if God forbid i do have it), im going to feel soooo quilty although i dident do anything to risk myself from getting Heb C but sometimes life can be sooo unfair .. i cry also because although life isent promised when your health is jeopordized thats when you actually think think about your future and how long you’ve got to enjoy every moment with your family and kids .. you never feel so alive untill you’ve had a close to death or are in a close to death moment !!!!! recieving news like this makes u relize how precious life is and how we pitty every little thing in our life we dont relize how in one instant everything.can be taken away from u !! 😦 reading the comments made me feel a little.better knowing im not the only one.who is pregnant with (maybe God forbid) Hep C … ladies keep your head up i know its hard, although its not certain i have it im soooo depressed my eyes are soo little and red .. Life is precious and lets that the bad with the good , lets relize how beutiful being alive is and lets enjoy every min.of it !!!!!! And its beautiful that this post has soo many positive words and the fact that were all strangers many not even living in.the same states we all are trying comfort one another !!! God Bless sorry for my babbling mouth ,i have no.friends to talk this to so i opened up on thia post !! 😦
i would love to make a friend heres my email if anyone wants to talk about anything ..Hep C ,motherhood or just life in general :)))
Taikahernandez@yahoo.com
im praying for good news next week !!!!!!!!!
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Tai, Just tried to email you but I keep getting delivery failure notifications. Added you on Facebook after clicking on your name. My name’s Aimie just incase you’re wondering who I am. xx
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My mom got hep c from a blood transfussion bf they tested the blood in the 70’s I was born in 1981 so she had it while she was pregnant with me. My whole life I have watched my mom suffer, then a trandsplant, & that just prolonged the suffering, with no ammune system it finally won the battle:( So now Im 29 years I always get checked once a year, While I was pregnant this time my liver inzimes were high. WTF now Im worried I may have it. I mean I was living off her blood for 9mo. My big ? is how long can it hideout bf you have any sighns.
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Ladies,
I do not have Hep C, but i have family members who have it and my brothers girlfriend just had a baby and she too has Hep C. I know a lil bit about this disease because i have done a ton of research on it.
First of all, There is only a slim chance of your babies contracting this disease. Smaller even, if you opt for a c-section. Your baby has a totally different blood supply than you do. Your blood never touches their blood, unless of course it does during delivery. The best thing to do, is have a c-section. That way, the chances that your blood will mix with the babies blood, are slim to none.
Second of all, you wont be able to be sure that the baby doesnt have it until the babys 1yr old. They say it usually will take that long for the Hep C to show up, if in fact the baby is infected.
Third of all, For the ladies who say that they just now found out that they r positive and wonder how long Hep C can take to show signs of it….. It can take 10, 20, 30 years for you to show signs of Hep C. Most doctors say that you are most likely to die of old age, before you die of Hep C. I hope this helps you all out a lil bit. You are all in my prayers, and your babies as well. I wish you all the best. Keep your heads up, and dont dwell on what you should have done. Whats done is done. Now worry about how your going to live your lives to the fullest and be the greatest moms you can be to your beautiful, precious babies. If anyone needs someone to talk to, or has any questions they want to ask me…. My email is klly_kng@yahoo.com
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I was diagnosed HCV positive in 1994 when I was pregnant. I believe I contracted the HCV in 1985.So that is around 26 years, I have two children both HCV negative, both were tested at 18months of age.
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oh my god, y’all made me feel so much better. thank you. i too was an iv heroin addict, and i apparently contracted hepatitis c. i just found out through my methadone clinic three days ago and i am six months pregnant. i was so upset because i was always so careful to go to the needle exchange and never share, however i did share with my boyfriend of almost 5 years (under ten times in 3 1/2 years) and he had shared with his best friend with a backloaded syringe when he was sick. now that i read this, i know that a vaginal is still possible, and that makes me so happy. i wish there was a good board specifically for pregnant women with hepatitis c. there is a great one for pregnancy and methadone (http://excoboard.com/methadone_pregnancy_information).
best of luck to you all, and lots of love;
jackie
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I am 3 months pregnant, 30 yr. old and also a Hep C carrier for atleast 10 years (was also a heroin addict in my earlier years) and so far, the news has been nothing but good from all of my doctors as to whether my first child will or will not be born with the disease. I actually have quite a few friends who have given birth, HepC infected and had no issues with the baby being born with the disease. Also, as of recently, I have been keeping track and http://www.vrtx.com/ seems to have our answers thus far. Trying to not get my hopes up but this is extremely promising news for you and if your baby is infected. Stay positive ladies and know that we are all battling this together, for our children 🙂
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I am 4 months pregnant, my husband and I are both Hep-C positive. We were both serious IV drug users for 10+ years. I have been clean for 4 1/2 years now, still on methadone. When I had my first daughter, the virus had not yet showed itself in my system and I was not on methadone., She is now 3 and perfectly healthy. I am currently 4 months pregnant. Hep-c positive, with a relatively low V.L, and am on methadone. I am F’ING terrified! I feel so unbelievably guilty and like such an awful person that I am bringing a child into the world with a rick on contracting my disease. I am so glad though that I found this site and all of you ladies! I know that the chances of transmission to my baby is only 5-6%, and that I can still breastfeed, but I am so scared. All of you whom have had your babies since your posts. How did everything go? Have any of your children contracted it and if so >? What have you done?
Can you , any/all of e-mail me with your stories?
lnlgoodfellow@hotmail.com
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hello my name is kandy and im 23 and 26 weeks pregnant! my dad has hep c and i have never done drugs in my life besides weed which i no longer do! and just last week found out i tested postive for hep c i freaked out, couldnt believe it and not understandin how i could have gottn never being in contact with my dads blood! so the doctor retested me and prayed and prayed that it was just a swear up or something a few days later got a call that im hep c postive! and this all started with me have a all over body iche from head to toe! thats why they started testing me! i just dont know what to do im so scared my unborn baby girl will be born with this horrible diease that neither one us did anything to get it! as well as my husband maybe getting it from me! i feel horrible for bring a baby into this world knowing she might have this to! not only do i have hep c but they tell my i have cholostasis which is something you get when your pregnant but its suppose to go away after you have the baby! im freaking out tho because one sign of hep c being active is iching to and the side affects with cholostasis it fetal lose and im just losing it, im going crazy in side i have been hit with all this bad news all at once, scared that i might lose my baby and that she might be born with hep c! i have a docters appointment with the GI on the 16th of december i just hope and pray that i get good news im so sick of hearing all this bad news i just want something postive! this is my first child and at this point i never want to go though this again because of all these problems i am having! if you can give any advice i would love to hear it all please help very lost and scared to death!
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why wont you email be , .. i posted on here on july when docs were telling me i was positive with hep c antibodies i went into further testing and im indeed hep c + … im 21 and 30 weeks pregnant with my second child.. i would love to give u any advice i can and def make a friend out of this thats going through what i am 🙂
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taikyaperez@gmail.com
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Hi Tai,
I remember trying to contact you months ago when I read your first post on here.
I was diagnosed with Hep C shortly after I had my first child in 2000. I have been fine and have had no real side affects apart from tiredness, chronic fatigue and general aching but until 2010 when I was pregnant with my second child and I also got Obstetric Choleostasis. The last few weeks of my pregnancy were some of the worse of my life, itching, coughing up thick balls of white bile, being sick, etc. It was awful. I was carefully monitored at the hospital 3 times a week and it was decided that I would be induced 2 weeks early as any longer than this can pose a risk to the baby.
I was induced and my daughter was born on my birthday and I can honestly say the second she was out of we I felt a rush of well-ness if that makes sense, I didn’t feel ill any more. It was wonderful being able to eat again without being sick, the itching and the bile had gone and I finally felt like me again. Everyone marvelled how I practically skipped down the hall way after I had my first shower after the birth. They asked if I wanted a wheelchair but I felt amazing!!
Please don’t be frightened about having Choleostasis. I am sure you are in the right hands and your doctor and midwives will all look after you. If you would like to have a chat please email me any time.
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hey tai reading your post made me feel alot better then yesterday! im kandy i post yesterday! about the choloatsis and hep c i went to the doctor today and they had done a ultrasound yesterday on me and today my ob tells me that my placenta has aged for someone who is far more along then what i really am! i am 26 weeks pregnant to day and in the next two weeks i have to go see a speaicl doctor so he can check it out for him self and decide what we are going to do! my ob says she is very worried cause we are going to have to take the baby early or we can lose the baby ! the last few weeks have been horrible for me and my husband ! first i found out about the cholosatsis and then the next week found out im hep c postive and now this news we cant get a break for nothing! im just so scared cause i dont want to lose her but im also afaid if they take her she might not make it im only 26 weeks! any advice please help!
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I am 40 years old and my child is 4. I recently found out I have hep C. I am not sure when I contracted it during my drug use. I am a year clean now and in recovery. I worry if I have had this disease before I gave birth and if my daughter may have it. Is this possible? Do dr.s not check new born babies for something like this?
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sherry from what i have found out is no they dont check newborn baby with this because it wont show up in there blood until there at least a year old! and my hep c doctor has told me that 1 out of 20 women there baby could be born with it so there are chances he may have it but its unlikely! hope i could help ya and hope your son dont have it ! good luck to the both of you! 🙂
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Thanks for your response. I recently saw a gastrointestinal specialist and when I told him of my concerns he said since I had a c-section the chances are even less.
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Hi everybody,
I’m in my 60’s and have probably had Hep C for 35 or 40 years, since before my pregnancies, but never got tested until 2005. My kids are in their 30’s and are negative, I breastfed them for years. Drink lots of water, take walks, get enough sleep, stay away from alcohol and tylenol, eat healthy – lots of fresh fruit, salad and vegs, fish, whole grains, minimize the fried foods, sodas and sugar.
My brother died from liver cirrhosis due to Hep C and alcohol, but he never really stopped drinking. His wife and kids are negative thank goodness. Avoid sex during your period or have them use a condom then.
Best of luck to everyone and be kind to yourself!
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I jus found out a month ago i tested positive for hepatitis c i’m also 9 weeks pregnant.. i have been experiencing terrible sickness.. nausea,weakness an fatigue,, jus not feeling like my old self.. i know this all comes along with first trimester pregnancy but i had been experiencing these well before i became pregnant.. i have been clean for close to a year an have been using suboxone to help remain sober but was recently switched to subutex when i found out i was pregnant.. i was offered the choice of methadone or subutex. I was wondering if I’m experiencing this due to changing my meds an if i should switch to methadone? This sickness is effecting my daily life i just dont have the urge to do anything anymore.. any suggestions please??
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I like this blog. I want a baby very badly but I have Hep C. I contacted it fighting. I never did anything more then drink and smoke weed. But I did like to fight. About a year and 3 months ago I was diagnosed with it,I confronted the person that I thought I may have got it from and it turns out that she had the virus. How I stayed calm I don’t know!! But I have a four year old girl and she wants a brother or sister badly and me and my husband want another child. I am just afraid of passing it to my baby. I know A 4.8% chance ain’t big and I am a risk taker but I don’t like the thought of losing my child if they do become infected and end up having liver failure. I would not be able to live with myself. Also I tried the treatment and it had bad effects on me so I had to stop. so I am worried about the birth defect possibility. I was on the treatment for three months and not have digestive problems that the doctors SEEM to not know WHY??? But if I am gonna die early I want my daughter to have someone because it is just me and her and my husband. We don’t have much family in our life. I think I’ll leave it up to God’s will. Whats meant to be is meant to be.
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dont think like that , you can still have a baby hep c is not sexually transmitted(unless of coarse your bleeding) i have a 2 year old son and im 9 mnths pregnant .. i got pregnant with this baby when i already contracted hep c (unknowingly) … live your normal live hep c shouldnt be a death sentence , im pretty sure there will be a cure in the following years … untill then just take care of yourself best you can , you’ll probably die from something unrelated to hep c cause it takes a looooong time for it to affect the liver( on a cautious ‘healthy person of coarse )
Everyday above ground is a good day ladies…..
: ) <~ Smile your alive ,!!!!!
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Thank you for sharing your stories.learned a lot I have hepatitis C. Never used drug
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I am a 28 year old mother of two. I have been tested for hep C due to my partner being newly diagnosed and my results were negative. My question is even though my partners has it and If I get pregnant is there a possibility my unborn child may have it or is it only if I have it as well.
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I am 22 and Hep C positive. I had to have a emergancy c- section, because my new doctor didn’t want to believe me when I told him, my childhood doctor said ” I have a small pelvic and I won’t be able to deliver vaginally” he had me push for a couple hours to realize my other doctor was right.! After I gave birth to my child by C- section i had a hemorrhage loosing75% of my blood. I had to reserve 3 blood transfusions and a platelet transfusion. A week later I had to have a exploratory surgery because I got an infection under my incision. Which I had my fourth transfusion. Months down the road I do my usual yearly check up to find out I am now Hep C positive. I’ve never done drugs, never been with anyone infected, always try to do right, and I’m Hep C positive. I still can’t get used to it!!! This was a rough delivery both for me and my family! I want another child so bad but I read another article saying if you had a blood transfusion your more likely to transfer it to your u born child! I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did! What are my chances of me passing this infection to my child now that you know my story?????!
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I feel much better about reading this! I just found out I have hep c 4 weeks ago. I am 25 weeks pregnant, and had no idea. I either got it from a tattoo, or sexually, as I have never done drugs, or had any random needle run ins. I’m so terrified of anything happening to my baby.
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Hi, just writing as i am confused about a situtation, my sister is currently on heroin/methadone whilst 8 months pregnant, she also has hep c, is there more of a chance the baby could catch hep c whilst she is injection heroin? Also will the baby be addicted? if so how long will it take for the baby to be weened off it? Any answers will be great thanks.
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The baby will definately be addicted. And if the mother and/or baby test dirty for drugs Especially Heroin,speed or weed etc. Cps will be notified immediately and that baby wont be going home with your sister. wow.
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I am 28 and found out I was Hep C Positive when I was 16 after giving blood. I had no risk factors no pircings, no tattoos, no drug use, no blood transfusions. I am adopted and was born to a mother who was an IV drug abuser and addicted to heroin. I know I was born addicted to heroin and had to go through withdrawls, but I am unsure of her Hep C status. My Dr. belives I most likely aquired the hep C from vertical transmission. I was lucky and was adopted into an amazing family. I went to college got straight As and was married 2 years ago. I am at the point where I want to have children. I have been throught 2 treatment cycles. Both times my viral load went to 0 but come back after compleating treatment. I am at a crossroad where I need to decide weither to try treatment again and put off getting pregnant at least another year and a half or taking a chance and getting pregnant. I do not want to put my child at risk for aquiring the hepC but I feel I am getting old to keep putting off getting pregnant and there is no garentee treatment will work. I want to have 2-3 kids and really want to start a family. My viral load is between 1mil and 2 mil. I want to know if anyone knows if there is an increased chance of me giving it to my child if I aquire it through vertical transmission. Also any input that anyone has would be very helpful. Thanks in advance for any insite or advice.
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Got a question for whoever can reply um I found when i had my child in this world and got hepC in 2007 am wonder can I get prego.about four months away am also getting my treatment when i get more test done about the treatment.anyways just a thought to ask.
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I have a friend who lost her parents to hep c she is 23 she didnt get it but her older brother did he found out a couple years ago hes 26 hes doing ok but I think its sad that there parents are gone they died so young and all they have is eachother they all took care of there parents they were so young to have a burdon on them like that growing up she crys alot missing them not having them is hard.
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my boyfriend has hep c from previous drug use he was clean way before i ever met him, he has 2 other children from a previous relationship who dont have it neither does the mother. im 24 weeks pregnant and waiting my results although we are carefull it still scares me and reading this hasnt really made me feel betetr i guess i beleaved him when he said you cant get it through sex but knowing me il be the one that gets it in the low risk factor. i should find out tomorrow though im dreading it, reading all this scares me more as i didnt no it could be transmitted in bodily fluids especially if he was poorly when we slept together. i gues ill never forgive myself if i have it and may pass it on to my baby. i had to have a c- section with my first baby and im guessin i probally will again whats the safest way to have the baby naturally or c section (im not sure my body will give me a choice though)
its easy to look back in hindsight and say what people should or should or shouldnt do but whats done is done i just want to know what the likelyhood is that i might have it. im so scared.
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replying to my own post. phoned up the doctors today and test come back normal so i can breath a sigh of relief now and concentrate on the pregnancy. I guess iv learnt my lesson though the only way to truelly be safe is to use protection even with your long term partner so you dont have these doubts. good luck to every one and well done to every one whos has come off heroin i lost my brother to it 6 years ago a few days after i had my first baby its ruined my whole familys outlook on life and we will never be truelly happy again. well done every one though xx
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I just found out that my sons girlfriend is pregnant and tested positive for hepatitis c her and my son are heroin addicts he just got out of jail and says he is done with heroin
She says she is to but when the baby is born and it if it does end up testing positive to hepatitis c you said it doesn’t effect their childhood what is the life expectancy for that child? And is it easy to catch hepatitis c when caring for the child and what about the child playing with other children can they give the disease by playing with toys and putting them in there mouth or anything like that?
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Hello there – I simply wanted to send this comment as a means of appreciation!
We tested out utilizing all of the tips which you have given here and I have successfully become pregnant!
Thank you so very much!
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hello,
i have never been tested for Hep c but being a past user having many unstarile tattoos when i was younger. i am 23 years old and didnt even pick up a drug until after i had my now 4 year old son and i have since been clean with the help of suboxone or almost 2 years ( getting clean from a really bad oxy and pain pill addiction) after i left my sons dad is when i met my now boyfriend who i love more than any person in the world but he was my drive to get clean. he like many has never been addicited to anything in his life and almost left me when i told him about my addiction but gave me the chance to get and stay clean and i am so thankful to him for that. we have been together almost 2 years now and i so badly want to get married and have kids with him but i am just to scared to go get tested for this disease it eats me up everyday and i dont want him to leave me. i never used needles but my sons dad did and he shared them with only god knows who. i am just so scared my life will be flipped upside down the love of my life will leave me and i will never be able to give my son the siblings he so badly wants. I AM JUST TOO SCARED!! even though the possiblility of me having it is slim i know my sons dad has it and thats what scares me. i just want to live a happy and carefree life and im unable to do so worring about this. I have read every single post on here in hopes for some anwsers but i never ran past one like mine (what if i do have it, how do i tell the person that means so much to me, will i ever have another baby ) all of these ?????’s run through my head dayly and i dont know what to do about it anymore!!!! Thanks it feels really good to just be able to talk about it!!
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Im 21 years old and i was addicted to heroin and pain killers and choose to boot them and i have been clean for almost 7 months i got clean when i found out i was pregnant but i took the chance of going through dts rather then being on methadone because i didnt want my child to be born like that and i went though it all and everything in my life turned around and was going good then i got a call from the doctor telling me i tested positive for hep c i didn’t know what to think or do i was confused depressed and cried for days but after i have read all of this i feel so much better and i just want to thank all of you for sharing your story and i will pray for all of you and i just hope my son is born without the infection!!! THANK YOU ALL!!!
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Wow, these stories have truely touched my heart in a way that I will never forget. I too am a recovering heroin addict. I am on methadone, am 11 weeks pregnant as of this upcoming Monday, and recently, about a week ago actually, was informed that I have contracted Hepatitis C, probably and most likely from my past IV heroin addiction. This article and the comments have definitely lifted my spirits, as I and my boyfriend have been very worried for the baby. I have yet to talk with OB or the specialist she has referred me to, and I feel like all the different websites I’ve looked at have been unclear or all have different information. Even my “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” book, had me worried because it really has little to no useful information about Hep-C, there is literally a small paragraph about Hepatitis C and then, A and B of course it seemed to me there was a lot more information, which was very unsettling because it made me wonder with the little information there was, was a good thing or bad thing. I guess I will just have to leave my fate with God, he has taken good care of me this far, and I know that he will always be there for me and my baby, regardless of the outcome! I will keep you all in my prayers and I wish you the best of luck!! And for those of you, in similar situations as I, try to not let other people’s ignorance get you down!! God is there for you, and if you have faith in him, everything will work out ok! God bless everyone, and if I find out any usefull information from my doctors I will definitely be back on here to write it down for all of you!!! 🙂 Try to keep your spirits up and GOD BLESS!!
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Im 25 and I found out that I had hep c about two years ago. I was an i.v. user and addicted to meth. My boyfriend and I used for a few years before I even knew he had passed it on to me. I have been clean healthy and 100% sober for 8 months now (doesnt seem like long but it feels good to say that). During my 4 years of being an i.v. user on top bring addicted to meth and putting a needle in my arm.. My boyfriend was VERY abusive. Pretty much my question is now. Will it be harder to get pregnant and stay pregnant when that times comes for me. I feel like I have done everything right to turn my life around and being a good person. when I finally find that person that I want to spend my life with.. (which I’m pretty sure I have :)) will it be harder for me to get pregnant then say a woman that hasn’t had hep c for three years or a history of abuse?
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UPDATE*** I posted back in October and just wanted to say I had my beautiful daughter on April 30th and she is PERFECT!!! Delivery was not what I was expecting (emergency c-section) but she is amazing 😀 Her pediatrician will run an HCV test at 1 year old but has absolutely no reason to believe she is infected. I even found out, halfway through my pregnancy that I AM able to breastfeed safely. Docs just kept an eye on my liver enzymes (which remained safely low) through my pregnancy and everything was totally normal (I didnt even have a high risk OBGYN). Keep your chins up! You totally can have a 100% normal pregnancy AND child at the end of all this 🙂 I am the happiest mom ever of a gorgeous 4 month old girl….remember, our pasts do NOT define our futures!
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P.S. For all of you recovering ladies, I haven’t been in heroin in 7 years and everyday is a battle…but looking in our kids eyes gives us reason to stay strong and since having my baby, I have found the battle isn’t as hard anymore….We all have reasons to live better lives. And you are ALL strong, beautiful women! We WILL win this battle for us AND our children ❤
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Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through many of the posts I realized it’s new to me.
Anyways, I’m definitely pleased I stumbled upon it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!
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Im a 21 yr old and im 20 weeks pregnant, i never did drugs, drank only socailly, very cautious sex life, i was having problems (pain, fevers, vomiting) i went to one hospital 3 times they were supposed to have done every blood test to see what was wrong and each time i got sent home saying i was fine, (advised i also was supposed to have gotten tested for it when i was around 12 weeks pregnant from my ob dr) Finally it got so bad i went to another hospital, in 45 mins i was told i was positive for Hep c. Im now waiting on my viral load to see how bad it is; The father of my child was in the military for 8 years and was never told if he had it or not so he is going to get tested as well, but we have no idea where it came from. This site really put alot of better thoughts into my head and im going to take this one day at a time and thank you for all the positive stories. I have Faith things will be ok. ❤
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I am not pregant. However, I would like to be… someday.. I have Hep C. I found out about 3 months ago. I have probably had this for 7 years. I went through a pretty hard time about 7 years ago. I had a hard divorce. My husbad left me for my “former” best friend. I resorted to a terrible lifestyle for about a year, maybe less. I contracted Hep C during that time, bummer. My question is… What is the treatment? My doctor (less than considerate) basically told me to wait it out. That its no big deal and that sonce I have no Health Insurance (for now) I have no other choice…. Ugh… now what
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We are married for 4 yrs and my wife is 12 weeks pregnant now. She is a Doctor pursuing her PG. Last week my wife underwent a regular blood test and did test for infectious virology. Her test result for HCV showed +ve with value 1.2. The Doctor in the Lab called her and asked her to give the blood sample again. The second result was also the same +ve with 1.2 value. The method followed was ECLIA. After seeing this the Doctor recommended to send the blood sample for HCV PCR RNA (Quantitative) test. We did the same and are waiting for the result.
One of infectious disease specialist in her hospital told that during pregnancy HCV test can sometimes show a false positive. We have not read or heard it from any other sources. I wanted to know your opinion on the same? We are waiting for the result but everyday is getting tougher for us, especially for my wife. Ours is a precious pregnancy and we do not want to loose our child incase she is infected and she has to undergo some anti-viral treatment. What are the chance of a complete recovery from this if its in a acute stage? I read some articles and they say it cannot be permanently cured. Please advise and share your thoughts on this case.
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Thank you so much, to all of you ladies on here.I am 28 weeks pregnant with the last child I am able to have. It’s a high risk pregnancy for a few reasons, one of the main reasons is the Hep C. Just found out 2 days ago that it is now active in me and the viral load count is extremely high. I am terrified of the baby getting it, and as sick as I was before getting pregnant,terrified I may not be able to care for baby as much as I want and need to be.And if I have to start that horrible treatment after he is born will I even be able to care for him much at all?!? My other children don’t live with me and this is the last chance I have to raise my own child,something i so greatly need and want.I’ve missed out on too much of my other childrens lives to miss out on anything in this one’s would destroy my heart and soul. I don’t know how I contracted this disease, never used needles and always used protection having sex w/partners.I was on life support and had a blood transfusion about 3 years ago-thats where I feel it came from but the doctors tell me that that isn’t possible due to the blood being tested before it can be givin for a transfusion,…seems fishy to me because about a year later I was diagnosed with the Hep C.I am so scared about the baby and myself, I feel so very alone on this topic.I have a wonderful fiancee who is very supportive, but he works sooo much that I am home alone w/all these thoughts and worries day in and day out.On top of not having anything yet for our soon to be born son due to bills and paying our home off before he is born.We only have about 1 month left here to be ready for him as he will be born early.If any of you read this and would like to make a new friend or just talk,give any advice,I would appreciate more that you could ever imagine.Prayers and best wishes to all of you and your babies always.Vicki my email is: vickig@ymail.com– would love to hear from you.:)
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my wife is prego with hep c. somone told us this could kill her.. true?
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I just want to say that I am a recovering heroin addict as well and I never had to do methadone. I got clean the old fashion way, withdrawals and all. Personally I think methadone is a cop out .I am also ten weeks pregnant. Yes, methadone is prescribed, but it is also a drug. It still still affect a baby’s dopamine and seratonin levels. Clearly the baby is being born addicted if they have to go through withdrawal at birth. That is my personal opinion and I’m glad my child won’t be born addicted, my child actually has a chance. My mother was an addict and I was born addicted, not saying that’s the cause of my addiction but it sure didn’t help. Good luck though!
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My name is Maria Smith ,From USA ,and I’m happily married with a lovely husband and three children.I had a very big problem with my husband few months ago,to the extent that he even packed his things away from our house. He left I and my kids for almost 5 months,and i tried all my possible best and effort to bring him back.I discussed it with a very good friend of mine,and he gave me an advice concerning a spell caster, that he is the only one that can handle my situations and problem,that he’s always ready and able to do anything related to spell casting and helping of the needy, Pls every every one i would like you all to contact him with his email address,which is as follows. dr.okpokospellhome@gmail.com I never believed in spell casting,but My friend convinced me and i had no choice than to follow my friend advice,because i never dreamed of loosing my lovely Husband. And i contacted him with his email address,and i discussed with him all my problems and worries and so surprisingly,he told me that I’ll get my husband back a day after. I didn’t believed Him, until when i got home,the next day,my husband called me to inform me that he is coming back home…..So Amazing!! That’s how i got my back through spell casting and our relationship was stronger than ever. One of the price i was asked to pay was to tell it to the people around me that problems like this,can always be solved by Okpoko. So! my advice to you out there is to visit this same E-mail address,and tell him your problems too,if you are in any condition related to love issue or getting your ex back or and problem at all, pls Contact him and have a happy life. you can contact him via email (dr.okpokospellhome@gmail.com )
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I have been trying for 10 years to get pregnant and needed help! Been going to the doctors but still nothing. the doctor said me and my husband are fine , I don’t know where else to turn. until one day I read how fertilitysolutiontemple@live.com helped others get pregnant ONLINE i then contacted the great spell caster via email and Prophet BABA cast a pregnancy spell for me and gave me a 2months sure guarantee that i will become pregnant , and exactly 6weeks later I went to check and i was pregnant and later on i gave birth and i named my child “great” so that i can never forget the great spell caster that`s Prophet BABA who opened my blessings of conceiving today its marking 5years great was born and i also have a baby boy Vladimir Jr who is one and half years old, i want to use this medium to tell other women out there who is having pregnancy issues not to wait for years like i did contact fertility temple today and be happy this its contact call +2348052168467 or email: fertilitysolutiontemple@live.com ,Tammy Williams
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I want to know if being on methadone affects my chance of being an egg or embro donor as i would love to help ppl that want kids of their own plz answer a.s.a.p thanx.
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Will being on methadone affect me being an egg/embrio donor as id love to help woman that cant concive themselfs to have a fam of there own they deserve it.
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HI My Name is Daniel Caro , I wish to share my testimonies with the general public about what this man called dr okoro f( okorospell@gmail.com has just done for me , this man has just brought back my lost family to me with his great spell, I was married to this man called James we were together for a long time and we loved our self’s but when I was unable to give he a child for 2 years he left me and told me he can’t continue anymore then I was now looking for ways to get he back until a friend of mine told me about this man and gave his contact email ) then you wont believe this when I contacted this man on my problems he prepared this spell cast and bring my lost husband back and after a month I miss my month and go for a test and the result stated am pregnant am happy today am a mother a baby girl, thank you once again the great okoro for what you have done for me, if you are out there passing through this same kind of problems you can contact he today on his mail (okorospell@gmail.com
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There is so much false info on here! I have two children neither have hep c. I have had it for years. There is a 90+% chance your child will not be infected!! You mainly get hep c from direct blood to blood contact. Other ways of infection are EXTREMELY rare…less than 2%. Know your facts before you scare people. And telling a woman she needs an abortion because she has HCV is absurd and down right cruel!
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While nobody should be telling anyone to have an abortion, mothers who are pregnant, on methadone are being selfish…If you want to be a mother, you should always put your baby first, and not even a thought should go through your brain that it’s ok to be on methadone and inflict withdrawals on your baby that you are trying to avoid by not being taken off of it…If you can’t get weened off in nine months, you don’t deserve to call yourself a mother..Methadone is synthetic heroin. Which means that your baby will be withdrawing from heroin..you have the choice to be professionally weened off and prevent your baby from having withdrawals…If you can’t do that, and you just think about the pain it will cause you…Im sorry, but you’ve just traded addictions…heroin and methadone are the same thing, just controlled by a doctor. You’re still an addict, just in a pill form…So, maybe you should think about getting weened off, before putting your baby through that pain. Any real mother would do anything in their power to keep their baby from going through pain..even if that meant themselves having to go through it.
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Pingback: Diabetes Hep C And Pregnancy Problems | Diabetes Reversed
Hello every body Am CLARA HARRY , from USA, Dr,)OGUDO is the only Traditional root and herbs man that can cure your HIV who could ever get my HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend a lot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed that very week through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Dr,OGUDO, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 6 hours after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i will to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing Dr,OGUDO gave to me from the ancient part of Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at:DROGUDO thank you sir for healing me from HIV, i am Doris Carter So viewers DR OGUDO, is a God Gifted man and can help you to cure all types of sickness like HIV AIDS, CANCER, PILE, KIDNEY PROBLEM, SYPHILIS, DIABETES and lot’s more. You can contact him through his email on [drogudospelltemple@gmail.com]
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And many more.. contact him on his private
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help,His email is: ([drogudospelltemple@gmail.com])
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