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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Are The Risks Of Passing HCV Infection To Newborn Through Birthing Process?

I am 32 weeks pregnant. At the beginning of the pregnancy i found out that I was HCV positive. I recently got the results of the HCV viral load and they were negative. Is it safe for me to breastfeed? What are the risks of passing on the virus to my newborn through the birthing process and breastfeeding? I have been trying to call local pediatricians and the local health department, but no one will speak to me or return my calls.
Tue, 31 Mar 2015
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OBGYN,  's  Response
Hi,

For women with hepatitis C infection the risk of transmission to the fetus through birthing process is 5-8%.
Since you are HCV positive with negative viral load, it means that the you were infected in the past and now the infection is cleared. You are not infective now.
The good news is that it is shown in studies that mothers without HCV viral load did not transmit the infection to the baby. So the possibility of transmitting the infection to your baby is almost zero.
You can safely breastfeed the baby too.

It is important that you repeat the test for viral RNA presence after six months to confirm sustained clearance of infection.
I hope I have answered your concerns.
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What Are The Risks Of Passing HCV Infection To Newborn Through Birthing Process?

Hi, For women with hepatitis C infection the risk of transmission to the fetus through birthing process is 5-8%. Since you are HCV positive with negative viral load, it means that the you were infected in the past and now the infection is cleared. You are not infective now. The good news is that it is shown in studies that mothers without HCV viral load did not transmit the infection to the baby. So the possibility of transmitting the infection to your baby is almost zero. You can safely breastfeed the baby too. It is important that you repeat the test for viral RNA presence after six months to confirm sustained clearance of infection. I hope I have answered your concerns.