See also:

Pregnancy and Breast feeding
   Should pregnant women be routinely tested for anti-HCV? No. Pregnant
women have no greater risk of being infected with HCV then non-pregnant
women. If pregnant women have risk factors for hepatitis C, they should be
tested for anti-HCV.

   What is the risk that HCV infected women will spread HCV to their newborn
infants?
  About 5 out of every 100 infants born to HCV infected women become
infected. This occurs at the time of birth, and there is no treatment that
can prevent this from happening. Most infants infected with HCV at the time
of birth have no symptoms and do well during childhood. More studies are
needed to find out if these children will have problems from the infection
as they grow older. There are no licensed treatments or guidelines for the
treatment of infants or children infected with HCV. Children with elevated
ALT (liver enzyme) levels should be referred for evaluation to a specialist
familiar with the management of children with HCV-related disease.

   Should a woman with hepatitis C be advised against breast-feeding?
  No. There is no evidence that breast-feeding spreads HCV. HCV-positive
mothers should consider abstaining from breast-feeding if their nipples are
cracked or bleeding.

   When should babies born to mothers with hepatitis C be tested to see if
they were infected at birth?
  Children should not be tested for anti-HCV before 12 months of age as
anti-HCV from the mother may last until this age. If testing is desired
prior to 12 months of age, PCR could be performed at or after an infant's
first well-child visit at age 1-2 months. . . .

. . . This page last reviewed August 21, 2002


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious
Diseases, Viral Hepatitis C: Frequently Asked Questions:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm#3c

Barb Strange


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