I Have Hep C And Just Had A Liver Biopsy Done. My Viral Count Was At 2.5 Million. I Have Been Hearing So Many Different Things About The Hep C And How You Can Give It To Someone. The Nurse Told My Girlfriend Of 3 Months To Get A Hep C, Hiv, Aids, And Std Test Done. Her Dr. Said She Had A Good Chance Of Having It. My Dr. Never Tested Me For All Those Things, I Just Found Out I Have The Hep. I Was A Needle User 30 Years Ago And I Went For A Physical 3 Months Ago Because Of Turning 50, That's How I Found Out. Am I Supposed To Tell Every Girl I Had Sex With For The Last 30 Yrs To Get Tested. From What I Have Read I Thought Contracting It Through Sex Was Very Slim At That. Her Dr Told Her Since My Viral Load Was So High That She Has A Good Chance Of Having It. Unless There Was Blood In My Semen I Don't See How She Could Have It. What Have Your Drs Said About Sex And Hep C??? Thanks For Helping To Resolve This With Me, Very Much Appreciated!

Hi, I got it from blood splatter duing an accident on my ship while I was in the navy in '75. I was diagnosted in'96. The doctor told my wife not to worry, direct injestion of blood was the only way to make your chance of contracting it very high, sex was very low, Monkeypaw.

It IS possible to transmit HCV via having sex, but the risk is low.
You do not need to have a blood in your semen, during the sex act there can arise small lesions satisfactory for contraction HCV (anal sex is from this pint of view especially dangerous).

Semen itself can contain the virus (depends on the viral load). But the concentration of virus in the semen is substantially lower than in blood.

Petr

I find myself on the reverse end of this "thing".

After over a year of celibacy ~ the dam burst last weekend, with a ladyfriend who had been celibate for over two years.

She had lubricated non-oxy condoms (to which I am allergic). My "dry" ones were in my car ~ parked a considerable distance away. We opted to NOT go get them, because her tubes had been tied AND there seemed little risk.

She called last night, to tell me that she was Hep C infected (from IV use with her first husband ~ detected years later when attempting to donate blood).

She also said she thought it was not transmissible, through sex.

I've read that there is a little risk IF one shares toothbrushes or nail files. Certainly menstrual blood is a risk. Fecal matter ALWAYS contains digested blood cells (that's how our bodies render them) ~ so ANYTHING involving the colon or its contents assumes SOME risk. Oral "stuff" offers some pathways IF....

YOU mentioned the biopsy and viral counts. That seems like a good indicator of relative risk.


IS any antiviral treatment available for Hep C ? I kind-of thought some of the articles indicated some folks HAD had some form of treatments AND were later NOT testing positive (but I could easilly be wrong).


My lady friend wishes to persue a continueing relationship.

I am interested, but definitely wish to minimize transmission risk !!!



~ Ben

My huisband has had HEp C for over 40 years, we have been married for 30, have 5 kids and not one of us has Hep C. It must b nigh unto impossible to contract it during sex. Of course when he was first diagnosed I was immediately tested, but I knew I ddin't have it and I didn't. Any kind of sex where there was an exchange of blood, well, yeah, I think that could maybe (and I mean a BIG maybe) transmit it, but from what I have read and know from my own life, no, it has to be needle transmitted (IV's, drug use, blood transfusions)

Thanks liz49 !!! That sounds VERY reassuring.

I am a bit confused (and not wanting to sound argumentative).

I researched a Columbia University Medical article that said non-A non-B hepatitis was not given its own status (as Hepatitis C), until 1989.

1989 was only 17 years ago. How could people have been tested as having this UNLESS they were labelled non-A non-B (and the proteins hadn't yet been isolated) ?

Other articles ALWAYS indicated the use of condoms (in those upon whom statistics were compiled).

IF you have children, then condoms were probably not used.

My bigger concern was the potential mucous-membrane exposure to trace blood or blood products. That's the nice way to say exposure via oral contact in the region ~ and residual "stuff".

As part of a "healthy" sex drive/life, those "practices" are something I'd prefer to leave IN ~ but am willing to reconsider IF the risk is too great. Forget barriers ~ as the idea of carrying Saran Wrap has no appeal whatsoever.

I hope that makes some form of sense.

Meanwhile, I've already received an email saying she'll understand if I want to back out of the relationship !!!


I guess I'm MORE peeved that she didn't mention it before we did anything, than I am about the actual infection. Of course, technically it is NOT categorized as an STD.

NOW - it's a matter of balancing the "whole"...

Thanks again...


~ Ben :)

Ben - that's what bothers me.....why did she wait until AFTER to tell you, when she obviously knew before? If I were you, I'd be real disappointed, and angry with her.

Thanks Rose.

I keep reflecting on their recommending NOT sharing toothbrushes ~ and cannot reconcile HOW that could not be paralleled to oral interactions (granted ~ no toothbrushes were involved).

Hmmm...

I'm certainly NOT thrilled that I found out AFTER "exposing" myself so egregiously.

And, of course ~ that generalizes into the issue of "trust" formation in a relationship...


~ Ben :eek:

The reason for not sharing toothbrushes and/or nail clippers has nothing to do with sex (oral or otherwise).

The reason is simple. People with any minute amount of gum disease end up with some blood being visible when brushing teeth. Thus, blood gets on your toothbrush. And if the second user of the brush also had gum disease, then some of your blood could get into their gums, thus a potential for infection.

I don't really think that they have ever actually suspected that anyone was infected that way, but it is just a common sense precaution.

As for the nail clippers .... well, have you ever cut your nails and get too close and get some blood? Same reasoning!

Thanks for all that nice feedback !!!

Menstrual blood caught "us" by suprize.

Coincidentally, an acquaintance said he THOUGHT they now have a vaccine for Hepatitis C !!!

Has anyone heard of such ???

Immagonna start a new thread posing THAT question !!!

Thanks again,

~ Ben (we discussed it, and all seems well... turns-out she's quite knowledgeable, and says her strain is only 40-60 responsive to Interferon treatment AND is not worth the inherint risks to HER)...

:)

I have been married 22 years this July & my wife & I both fit no at risk groups.
No surgeries, tattoos, piercings, transfusions, surgeries, & we never did iV drugs etc. We both have & have the same geno type 1A.
We will never know for sure but it's not worth putting ayone at risk when there is a risk no matter how small.

Bengone, I have had HepC since 1981. It was called non-A, non-B Hep back then. I have had sex with my spouse all those years since I was infected. He was recently tested and is still negative. I also birthed and breastfed three kids who are still negative 20+ years later.

I do think, however, I would think twice about someone who had unprotected sex and is HepC positive. If you had a sore or scratch on your penis, she put you at risk. What else didn't she tell you?

Hi all,

There is no vaccine for hep c. I wish there were.
there are no anti-virals considered effective against hcv except the forms of interferon we have all heard of. the most advanced of these are the pegylated forms, pegasys being the currently most popular choice. none are entirely satisfactory, but they are a lot better than what we had five or so years ago.

many of us who have had hep c for years (or decades, in my case) in fact did first hear something was wrong when we were told we had 'non-a, non-b' hepatitis. in my case, i was told this when my blood was rejected for donation back in the 80's.

the research on sexual transmission seems more clear each year, but there is till no absolutely clear answer to guide each case. what we know is: yes it can be transmitted through sexual contact, but no, this does not seem to occur very often. yes, the virus is found in tears, semen, saliva, and every bodily fluid tested to date, but no, we don't know for sure whether any of these carry a risk--if so, it is probably a small one, or cases would have left a clearer trail by now. Viral load is not considered a useful mesure of disease intensity or progression, but IS considered a risk factor. that is, a higher viral load does seem correlated to increased chance of transmission to others.

And, intensive research (mine) also reveals that very very few carriers tell anyone until after they've had some serious intimacy. Sorry, its just true.
That does not change the fact that no one should be having UNprotected sex and also not telling--that strikes me as irresponsible for sure. But, things happen, so .....be prepared!

I have been infected for something over 40 years (as far as we can figure out), due to acting like a bad kid back in the sixties. I have since t hen been married to three different women, have fathered a houseful (now emptier) of children including two two (you read that correctly) year olds most recently. Expecially since nobody even knew there wsa a virus like this for 30 of those 40 years, you can imagine that we followed essentially NO preventive practices--condoms, toothbrushes, razors, etc. My viral load has been in the few millions since I started getting tested for it several years ago, and yet, none of my spouses nor children tests positive.

I think hep c is contagious, in other words, but only slightly so. nonetheless, all of us have varying immunities to varyious pathogens, so nothing is certain.

SO, it can happen, be aware and be responsible. But, don't be paranoid--take reasonable precautions, as everyone should be doing nowadays anyway, but don't be scared. Making love to an hep c person will not kill anyone. Probably.

hope this helps.

sean

Hey Sean !!!

That was GREAT !!!

Sorry to be a day late and a dollar short...

You're right on ALL counts !!!

BE CAREFUL (is the bottom line)... avoid ALL menstrual blood days PLUS 4 !!!


~ Ben

I remember reading something about (skin permeability membrane barrier) or something worded along that line. I think it means that the barrier can become compromised by forces such as friction, chemical burns, sunburns..etc...