For women who have hepatitis C virus

You may need to have some vaccines if you have not already received them. After the first three months of your pregnancy, it is safe to receive pneumococcal, tetanus-diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and flu vaccines. However, you should avoid live virus vaccines such as those for measles, mumps and rubella, varicella zoster (chicken pox) and yellow fever.

For women who have hepatitis C virus (HCV) alone, there is a small chance of passing on HCV to the baby. Having both HIV and hepatitis C can increase the risk of vertical transmission of HCV. There is no known treatment to prevent vertical transmission of HCV; however, studies have shown that there is a lower risk of HCV transmission if a co-infected woman is on HIV treatment during pregnancy. This is because a high HIV viral load stimulates HCV to make more copies of itself and leads to a higher HCV viral load.

It is important to be aware that some of the drugs commonly used to treat hepatitis C and hepatitis B can cause severe birth defects and should not be taken during pregnancy. Women should stop taking these drugs for at least 6 months before they become pregnant and during pregnancy. Male partners should also not use these drugs for at least 6 months before they decide with their partner to get pregnant. Speak with your doctor and pharmacist to find out more about which drugs are safe and which are not.