Can I have a baby if I am pregnant with Hepatitis C?

If a pregnant woman develops hepatitis C during pregnancy, she can still have a baby. This is mainly because hepatitis C is very low in infectiousness. Generally, hepatitis C in pregnant women will not affect the development of the child, and the child will not be a carrier of hepatitis C. If a pregnant woman develops hepatitis C during pregnancy, she can be completely cured as long as she follows the doctor's advice for treatment, but she must ensure her mood and diet during pregnancy.

Recognize the eight misunderstandings about hepatitis C

Myth 1: Pregnant women must give up their fetuses

As we all know, marriage and fertility issues are a major pain point for thousands of hepatitis B patients. But hepatitis C offers hope in this regard. First of all, the chance of a pregnant woman with hepatitis C transmitting hepatitis C to her fetus is only 2% to 5%. Moreover, hepatitis C is a curable hepatitis. Even if the baby is unfortunately infected, it can be cured with early and standardized treatment.

Myth 2: Thinking that it’s okay if you don’t have symptoms

Many people think that hepatitis C, like hepatitis B, means that if there are no symptoms after infection, the person is a healthy carrier of the virus and does not need treatment. Because hepatitis C is hidden, many patients may not have any symptoms for a long time after being infected with the hepatitis C virus. However, the hepatitis C virus continues to destroy liver cells quietly until the liver becomes cirrhotic or turns into liver cancer, and related symptoms only appear. Therefore, hepatitis C is called the silent killer. There are no healthy carriers of the hepatitis C virus. Only early detection and early treatment can reduce the damage of the virus to liver cells.

Myth 3: Hepatitis C is mistakenly treated as hepatitis B

The hepatitis family has many "brothers", but hepatitis C and hepatitis B are two completely different viruses, and oral hepatitis B medicines cannot treat hepatitis C. However, some informal hospitals lack correct knowledge about hepatitis C and use incorrect medications, which increases the financial burden on patients, causing them to endure the double pain of drug side effects and the disease, and delays precious treatment opportunities.

Myth 4: Misunderstanding that hepatitis C cannot be cured

Hepatitis B has not yet been cured, but hepatitis C is different. If it is detected early and antiviral treatment is started early, 70% of patients can be completely cured.

Myth 5: Blindly taking liver-protecting and transaminase-lowering drugs

Many hepatitis C patients have been misled by false medical advertisements and have spent a lot of money on liver-protecting and transaminase-lowering drugs and health products, but to no avail. In fact, the treatment of hepatitis C should first be antiviral treatment to suppress and eliminate the hepatitis C virus as early as possible and prevent the disease from developing into cirrhosis or liver cancer. The combined use of long-acting interferon and ribavirin is currently internationally recognized as the most effective antiviral treatment option.

Myth 6: Vaccination can prevent hepatitis C

Similar to AIDS, there is currently no vaccine available to prevent hepatitis C. However, like the prevention measures for AIDS, hepatitis C can be prevented by the following ways: refuse drugs and do not share syringes; have a fixed sexual partner and use condoms correctly; do not share needles or other tattoo or puncture tools with others; do not share personal items such as razors and toothbrushes with others; and bandage wounds promptly.

Myth 7: Hepatitis C can be transmitted through daily contact

Hepatitis C cannot be transmitted through daily contact. Hepatitis C is generally transmitted through three ways: blood, sexual contact, and mother-to-child transmission, which is basically similar to the transmission route of AIDS. Blood transmission is the main route of hepatitis C transmission, including sharing syringes, intravenous drug use, transfusion of blood or blood products contaminated with hepatitis C virus, use of needles and medical and beauty equipment that are contaminated with hepatitis C virus and have not been strictly sterilized and can penetrate the human body, and sharing razors and toothbrushes with hepatitis C virus infected people. Hepatitis C virus can also be transmitted through sexual contact. The prevalence of hepatitis C infection is higher in people living with HIV.

Myth 8: HCV antibody positive = hepatitis C

The main basis for confirming hepatitis C is a positive test for hepatitis C virus nucleic acid (HCV RNA) in the serum. If only the hepatitis C virus antibody is positive, it means that the person has been infected with the hepatitis C virus, but the body has cleared the hepatitis C virus. At this time, only regular follow-up observation is needed. HCV nucleic acid can be detected in peripheral blood 1 to 3 weeks after HCV infection.