Paternal use of ribavirin-interferon alpha 2B combination therapy before conception.

QUESTION: One of my male patients is receiving ribavirin-interferon alpha 2B (Pegetron) combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C. His wife recently found out she is 6 weeks pregnant. They are concerned that the medications might have affected his sperm. How should I advise them? ANSWER: To the best of our knowledge, paternal exposure to ribavirin-interferon alpha 2B has no adverse effects on reproduction. Although we do not have sufficient information to confirm this, several pregnancies where the father had been exposed to these medications turned out fine. If an unexpected pregnancy occurs while the father is receiving this therapy, there is no medical indication for terminating the pregnancy.