Hepatitis in pregnancy

Hepatitis in pregnancy refers to an infectious disease caused by hepatitis viruses that women contract during pregnancy. It can also occur when a woman with pre-existing hepatitis experiences worsening of the condition due to the interaction between pregnancy and hepatitis. The most common types of hepatitis in pregnancy are hepatitis B and hepatitis A. Pregnant women with hepatitis are highly likely to transmit the hepatitis virus to their newborns. Newborns can contract different types of hepatitis through the following ways: If hepatitis A is contracted during pregnancy, it is primarily transmitted through the digestive tract, and the likelihood of placental transmission to the fetus is generally low. However, newborns may become infected during delivery by contact with maternal blood, aspiration of amniotic fluid, or contamination with meconium. If hepatitis B is contracted during pregnancy, it can be transmitted vertically from mother to child, during and after delivery. If hepatitis C is contracted during pregnancy, mother-to-child transmission only occurs when there are high titers of the hepatitis virus in the serum. If a pregnant woman contracts hepatitis C in late pregnancy, the incidence of mother-to-child transmission increases. The transmission routes for hepatitis D in pregnancy are the same as those for hepatitis B.