Women can be affected by hepatitis C in a different way from men. This is possibly due to hormonal effects and liver damage. A study presented at the 3rd International Conference on Therapies for Viral Hepatitis. December 12-16, 1999; Maui, USA and Antiviral Therapy 1999; 4 (Supplement 4), 38. suggested that pre-menopausal women have better response rates to alfa interferon for chronic hepatitis C. Interestingly, menstruation protects women from organ damage until after menopause. This is thought to be caused by the protective effects of estrogen and the lower amounts of iron in the blood in pre-menopausal women.
MENSTRUATION: The hormonal effects of HCV can involve menstrual irregularities,
particularly if you are experiencing significant hepatitis C symptoms. It
is important that your general health is checked as well as your
hepatitis C monitored. Tampons and sanitary napkins should be secured in
plastic bags before going into the trash.
BIRTH CONTROL: If you are experiencing significant hepatitis symptoms, using
the estrogen-based contraceptive pill may be inadvisable.
In these cases, the progesterone-only pill or Depo-Provera may be preferable.
HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY: If you have severe hepatitis symptoms you may need
to discuss with your doctor whether hormones should be used for
menopausal symptoms. If this is the case, external vaginal creams and
skin patches are probably better than pills. Recent studies show that
hormone replacement therapy can cause breast cancer.
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding and premature menopause, and most any other sort
of hormonal aberration is pretty common with chronic liver disease. The
liver processes these hormones, and they tend to not get processed
properly when the liver is damaged.
While on interferon therapy, many woman find that they come down with one yeast
infection after another, due to the immunosuppression.
Waste paper products (napkins and tampons) which have been exposed to blood should be securely wrapped and disposed of in a safe manner. A 10% bleach (soak for 30 minutes) should be used on all contaminated surfaces, and in the laundry for clothing and linens which have been exposed to blood.
Sexual intercourse during your period is not safe.
