If a guy has Hep C can he pass it to a girl through unprotected vaginal or anal sex? Thanks.

Bloodborne pathogen. Yes. Present in blood, saliva, semen, and milk (all plasma products) in various concentrations. Blood, Semen and milk being the highest concentrations.

Life is right. It can be passed through any kind of unprotected sex.

CDC reports that about 15% of all Hep C cases are transmitted sexually.

This came from "HepNet"... hope it helps...

Sexual transmission - Hepatitis C

Unlike hepatitis B, HCV does NOT appear to be readily transmitted by sex, either in heterosexuals or homosexuals (Melbye M, Sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus; Cohort study (1981-9) among European homosexual men. Br Med J 1990;301:210-212). and one study failed to find virus in semen samples. However, there does appear to be a tendency for patients with many sexual partners to have an increased risk of HCV infection. Anti-HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA have been detected in saliva (Morris AJ, Detection of HCV RNA in body fluids of patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. Hepatology 1992;16:570).

I am confused now. Does Hep C get transmitted by unprotected sex or not? My husband found out he was Hep C positive while in prison, but I have been rather scared to have myself checked out. Since we have had unprotected sex, I figure I have it too. I suppose the only way to find out is to go to the health department and get blood work done.

Going and getting blood work done won't tell you if you have it. It stays dormant in the body for a long time-----sometimes up to 10 years and maybe more-----before being detected, and when it's detected, then it's in its active form. You may have it but it won't show on tests till it becomes active and then it's too late. The fact that it's not "readily" transmitted sexually doesn't mean that it's not transmitted that way at all and personally, even a one in ten chance is more than I'm comfy with. I'd have protected sex if it were me.

Ok, now Im a little freaked out. Ive been reading these posts, but havent replied. My husband was tested positive for it in prison (I think from having some home tattoos done a few years ago.) I went for a test, I was really worried about it all week. First I tested a weak positive, freaked a little and rang the hep c hotline number I found on our local health site. The guy there said not to panic, and get re tested. So I went and got retested, and it was negative. The doc didnt say much, exept, I had been exposed, but didnt have it, as it has came back negative. The hep c hotline said that I didnt have it and not to worry. Like is that normal? To have a weak positive to a negative. Anyway, Im just gonna hit the submit button now, cause I have been avoiding questions for so long.

What I worry most about is the fact that he was receiving treatment for the Hep-C while in prison, and now that he has been transferred to a community corrections facility (halfway house if you will), they arn't taking care of this aspect of his medical condition. They "lost" his medical files... :rolleyes:

Anyway, I suppose being the good little inabeler that I am, I care more about his condition than my own. My concern would be that I could transmit this to others in my family. Using OSHA standards for blood born pathogins should protect them though....I hope. That or we could go live in a cave.

Well, to my knowledge, Kyla, it doesn't show up on a test unless it's active. Unless Australia has some kind of tests that we don't here in the US, there's no test that will show exposure to it. It will only show once it's active.

It came back non active. I doubt Australia has better testing, cause we are always getter stuff after the US. I guess its a wait and see.

My husband and I have been married for almost 10 years and have never used protection & yet I have not contracted the disease from him. He found out he had HCV after we'd been married for about 4 years. Apparently he got it back when he was in the Army (early 70's) but didn't find out about it until about '98. He's been through 2 different treatments and neither one did any good. His hep C count just got higher. There is a new treatment out and his MD keeps trying to get him to take it but he says "no more". If God doesn't heal him then he will die with it. He now has sirrosis (spelled wrong). The treatments made him sick and didn't do any good. He doesn't want to go through it again. Most of the time the treatments will work to some degree but it didn't in his case. He feels that if the first 2 didn't then there is no use in trying a 3rd. He's in God's hands. ~~Gayle~~

Hi All..
Please read my above thread...about information regarding transmission...

i have had hep c since 1993...

if anyone needs phone numbers for questions regarding hep c...please let me know, so you can have some peace on this topic...

i also posted a reliable website on the transmission thread i started...

gayle38-i am very sorry to hear about your husband, it is undertandable for him to not want to suffer through treatment, and having 2 failures is discouraging...

i know you have to honor his wishes, but, maybe what people have said to me...it would break their heart if i didn't do certain things that may save my life.....i couldn't say no to that...

i don't know much about the late stages but if you need any contact names to get more advice, i have some really good sources, one woman carol craig is involved in some of the top research and care of hep c...if you would like her number...


i do know at the late stages people receive liver transplants...which are miracles....i don't know how availble livers are, though...

i really am sorry, and i hope i am not out of place offering these words, or causing you more pain...

fondly-francis