Re: Can we have a baby??

Posted By Greg  on June 30, 1999 at 09:18:59
My wife was diagnosed (1 year)as having low level Heb B. She requires no treatment and is not actually effected by the virus. She recently had follow up tests and ultrasound which showed her liver and galstones to be normal and blood tests showed counts to be all fine.
The question is whether it is possible for us to have a baby? Will the baby automatically be infected? Is the general concencus not to have a baby.
Thanks for you input!  

[Tim__0]

Posted By Tim on July 02, 1999 at 10:51:30

Hello Greg,
I'm English and work in the ************** field. A couple of years ago I wrote a report with an obstetrician on drugs and pregnancy. Normally if you have Hep B, (and it sound like your wife had what is called "sub-clinical hepatitis B" i.e. you get the virus but don't get sick - some people get very ill) it lasts a few months and then clears. Once you have had Hep B you become immune to the virus (because of your body's anti-bodies) so you can't get it again,  the only exception are "persistent cariers" - but as your wife's blood tests were all normal she is not one. So there is absolutely no reason why you and your wife should not have a baby, and the baby should be healthy and NOT infected with Hep B. The only caveat to this is that Hep B is very infectious, so it could be the case that you were also infected - you may not know you were infected  as it could have been sub-clincial - so the best thing probably is for you to have a test before going ahead.
For info, even the babies of women who are persistent carriers of Hep B can be born healthy and uninfected - this is what we wrote in the report (please note it was about drug users and I'm not suggesting you or your wife are drug users!):
"Persistent carrier status of Hep B is very uncommon . Women who are persistent carriers of the hepatitis B virus can transmit the infection to their baby. The rate of transmission is very high but largely preventable.  Policy in the UK is to screen all pregnant women for hepatitis B carrier status. If the mother has hepatitis B virus in her blood (i.e. if she is a carrier), the baby should be given immunoglobulins at birth and the first injection in a course of immunisation. This will prevent transmission in virtually all cases. If the mother is immune but not a hepatitis B carrier she cannot transmit the infection to her baby. However, the factors which led to her prior infection may also apply to other members of her family, one of whom may be a carrier. This is also the case for woman who have not been infected with hepatitis B. The newborn baby may therefore be returning to a potentially high risk environment . Although the baby does not require immunoglobulins at birth it would be sensible to give these babies a course of immunisation starting at birth. The recommended routine ante-natal screening will however only identify women who are infectious carriers and not those who are immune due to prior infection but no longer carry the virus. It would therefore seem to be good practice to offer women with drug problems full screening for hepatitis B, to offer immunisation of the babies of all drug users, together with immunoglobulin if the mother is a persistent carrier and to offer immunisation to the mother if she has had no prior exposure."
Best wishes,
Tim











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