Pregnancy

If you are pregnant and have hepatitis C, it is estimated that there is about a 5% chance that you will pass the virus on to your baby.¹ This type of virus transmission is thought to happen during childbirth. The risk is increased if you are also infected with HIV.

Drinking alcohol is not recommended when you are pregnant. But because alcohol can increase viral load and accelerate the rate at which hepatitis C can damage your liver, it is even more important that you avoid drinking it throughout your pregnancy.

If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, you cannot take ribavirin because ribavirin is very harmful to the foetus. In such cases, treatment for HCV is not recommended but can be considered after childbirth.

There is no evidence that hepatitis C can be passed on through breast-feeding, but it should be avoided if the skin is lacerated.

¹Newell ML, Pembrey L. Mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C virus infection. Drugs Today (Barc) 2002; 38(5): 321-337.