Hepatitis C and sex

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Hepatitis C and sex

From : Sex and Hep C

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A diagnosis of hepatitis C infection changes your life in an instant. You will never be the same person. You may, in fact, become a better, more mature person with a broader perspective on life.

But there is not getting around the fact that hepatitis C (HCV) can be a fatal disease -- even though most people simply will outlive it. Once this reality is absorbed, for many people it's immediately on to the question of safe sex with HCV.The news about sex and hepatitis C is good, mostly.Many researchers feel the chances of transmission in a monogamous relationship are quite small, or even nonexistent. Others fear the risks of sexual transmission have been understated in recent years, especially for high-risk individuals.Certainly the odds of getting hepatitis C via sexual activity can be decreased by common-sense behaviors. Just as those infected with hep C are cautioned not to share toothbrushes or razors, they should be made aware of potentially dangerous sexual activities. Here are some of them:• Do not have sex while either partner is

bleeding. This includes gums and, of course, any cuts, blisters or other skin breaks on genitals. Sex during the menstrual cycle is thought to increase risks, at least in theory.• Use condoms unless you're in an exclusive relationship. Basic safety advice for everyone, of course. People with multiple sex partners appear to be at greater risk of spreading hepatitis C (or getting it) than those who are monogamous.• Avoid anal sex or at least be extremely careful. This means being gentle, using a condom and applying lubrication.• Male-on-male sex has been linked to significantly higher risks of transmission.• Rough sex is out. Period.Some medical pros even think sex can be helpful for those with hepatitis C. Two major symptoms of the disease are fatigue and depression. The deep rest made possible by sex helps the liver heal, while depression often is lifted

by the endorphins released post-climax.This web site seeks to provide the most up-to-date information on sex and hepatitis C. We believe it to be the only site dedicated solely to safe HCV sex. Your feedback and factual corrections are most welcome. We're all in this together.

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Sex & Hepatitis C's pages include information on how the virus is spread; the odds of hep C transmission via sex; how to tell potential sex partners about your infection; and the short list of dating sites for hepatitis c carriers. This web site seeks to provide the most up-to-date information on sex and hepatitis C. We believe it to be the only site dedicated solely to safe HCV sex. Your feedback and factual corrections are most welcome. We're all in this together.You'll also find links to major hepatitis C studies of the role of sex in transmission. These studies and others are the sources for most of the information on this web

site. We are not doctors or scientists. Please read the site disclaimers regarding reliability of the information found here.As the old roll-call sarge used to say, "Let's be careful out there." And enjoy life.

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Hep C: The odds are in your favor

..Since no one has established without doubt that hepatitis C is spread by sexual contact, the chance of infection from that activity could in fact be zero. That is, of course, the most optimistic interpretation of the volumes of inconclusive and conflicting data on HCV risks. Even so, many studies have come to that conclusion. For example, Italian researchers found in 2005: "The risk of sexual transmission of HCV within heterosexual monogamous couples is extremely low or even null." Most studies do cite quantifiable risks of HCV transmission via sex, often quite low. Here are numbers that are typical: There is a 3% infection rate of sexual partners in relationships that last an average of 10-15 years.

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This means the yearly risk of transmission could be somewhere between 0.2%-0.3%. Again, there is no firm evidence that any hepatitis C transmission comes solely as a result of sexual activity, but sex certainly is considered a suspect in many otherwise unexplained infections. Part of the problem for researchers is the predominant role of intravenous drug use in hepatitis C contraction. Self-reporting of illicit needle-drug use is unreliable at best. If no needle use is indicated, sex could be seen as a cause when a partner becomes infected. Representative of the situation is a risks-of-sex chart from the San Francisco City Clinic, which knows a thing or two about STDs. The chart lists "Known Risks" and "Possible Risks" of getting the major STDs from various sexual acts.

Hepatitis C gets its own classification: "Unknown.".

Hetrosexual odds of infection via sexual behavior

.."Sexual transmission is possible, but is a rare event, occurring with a probability between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 100 per year," one hepatitis C research roundup indicates. "Consensus opinion suggests an incidence of 12 per 1000 person-years in partners of HCV infected individuals. These figures translate to a cumulative risk of acquisition of approximately 5% over 20-30 years." A frequently cited Austrian hep C study from 1999 study found: "The HCV seroprevalence in spouses of patients with chronic HCV infection and viremia is 5%. Sexual transmission, however, appears possible in only 2.5%, due to the results of HCV genotyping. The real risk of interspousal transmission

may even be half that (1.25%). ..." A report from Turkey indicated that of 600 spouses of hep C sufferers, none tested positive for the virus over a period of three years. (2% were positive going into the study.)

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The National Institutes of Health, in 2002, added sexual transmission to its list of exposure risks. The NIH team agreed that heterosexual monogamous couples were at little risk. But, "HCV-infected individuals with multiple sexual partners or in short-term relationships should be advised to use condoms to prevent transmission of HCV and other sexually transmitted diseases.".

Homosexual odds of hepatitis C infection

..Many researchers agree that homosexual men who have sex with multiple partners and/or engage in high-risk activities are at risk of getting or passing on hepatitis C. These activities typically are described as fisting, rimming and unprotected anal sex, especially when it is rough. The risks of infection for these types of high-risk individuals have been cited at 15% and even higher. A major Canadian study of homosexual men found that 2.9% were HCV infected, mostly from shooting illegal drugs. The study suggested sexual transmission was rare among these men. A similar study in Australia agreed. Studies strongly suggest that people with HIV are at greater risk of acquiring HCV via sex. Researchers in Italy and India independently put the risk factor at three times that of non-HIV individuals.

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What is being called a new strain of HCV apparently has stricken at least 50 HIV-infected men in New York, a researcher said in November 2009. The strain causes rapid damage to the liver, said Dr. Fierer of the Mount Sinai Medical School, who called its spread an "epidemic." "It really looks like a sexually transmitted disease," Fierer told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The most frequent risk factor, illegal drug needle use, was absent in his study of 21 of the men, the doctor said.

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http://Hepatitis Cnewdrugs.blogspot.com/2010/06/hepatitis-c-and-sex.html