Screening for Hepatitis C During Pregnancy at a Toronto Inner City Prenatal Clinic

All women attending our prenatal clinic will be invited to participate in this research study. Participants will complete two short questionnaires during their first visit to our prenatal clinic and be tested for Hepatitis C. Women who test positive for Hepatitis C will be carefully followed during their pregnancies and will have viral load tests and liver function tests during each trimester, at delivery and six weeks after their babies are born. All women testing positive for Hepatitis C will be referred to a hepatologist (a liver specialist) after delivery and their babies will be referred to a pediatrician for further follow-up and care. Based on previous studies we are concerned that some women may never know that they are carriers unless their blood is checked for the virus. Currently testing for Hepatitis C during pregnancy is not routinely done. The results of this study will help us to find out how many women attending our prenatal clinic test positive for Hepatitis C and how many cases would have been missed if we only relied on one of the questionnaires to decide whether to do the blood test or not. (The questionnaire deals with factors that could put a person at risk for acquiring Hepatitis C). By following our Hepatitis C positive pregnant patients throughout their pregnancies, deliveries and after their babies are born we will learn more about how the virus changes during pregnancy. The type of deliveries, any complications and the overall state of health of the Hepatitis C positive mothers participating in this study will be reported. We will also be able to report on the number of babies who are born with the virus and the state of their health up to six months of age.