It is unclear whether pregnancy has any influence on
chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)
infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pregnancy and parturition with HCV
viremia levels and the natural resolution of HCV
RNA. Twenty-two pregnant patients and 120 nonpregnant control female patients, both positive for anti-HCV and HCV
RNA, were studied. The HCV core
protein levels were quantified by
enzyme immunoassay, and HCV
RNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Of the pregnant group, two females whose HCV
RNA was negative continuously for more than 6 months lost HCV
RNA permanently after parturition, and one female whose level of HCV core
protein was intermittently under the limit of detection level lost HCV
RNA intermittently. In the control group, only one female lost HCV
RNA persistently, and one lost HCV
RNA intermittently after she developed
liver cirrhosis. At 3 months after parturition, the HCV core
protein level was <15 fmol/L in all patients who lost HCV
RNA, while the HCV core
protein level was >/=15 fmol/L in 81.3% of the patients who persistently had HCV
RNA (P = 0.03). Significantly more pregnant patients lost HCV
RNA than did nonpregnant controls. These findings suggest that pregnancy and parturition appear to influence the
clinical course of HCV
infection.