Hepatitis B and marriage

[Geetharam]

Hi I recently got married and i have hepatitis B. One year back we found it and then i was treated with Entecavir after 3 months of treatment, my viral load became normal (Below 20) but my physician advised me to continue the medicine for another year. Now my husband and I are very much worried about the baby. Can any one of you please advice me whether it is save for my husband to live with me and can i give birth to baby?

[Geetharam]

Thanks for your suggestions. I am hoping that everything will  be good and things will be alright soon. Thanks for your suggestions and advice.

[stef2011]

that doctor is very ignorant, hbv is even not a problem for healthy adults at all even with no vaccine and of course after vaccine hbv is like water

mybe you got his words wrong, he ment there is 20-30% who dont respond to vaccine but once you respond you are fully protected and also response get very high as more shots are done and even that 20-30% of non responders can get to 5%

[calmama]

I agree with Stephen.  Once a person developed enough HbsAb, he/she is protected.  I think that medical supplier (an MD??) was either not very clear or was wrongly informed.  The current HBV vaccine is not 100% effective because a very small percentage of people don't develop HbsAb after vaccination (non-responders).  So if those people assumed they were immune and did not check their serum HbsAb level, they would have higher chance of being infected.  BUT, if your husband and kids have their serum HbsAb level checked after vaccination and enough HbsAb have developed, they have nothing to worry about.

Talk to multiple liver specialists until you and your husband are convinced.  Do your own research, but get your information from credible websites (hepatitis b foundation, CDC, etc.).  There is a lot of wrong info out there on the internet.

[StephenCastlecrag]

Personally, I think you should see another liver specialist.
Your eAg is negative, so generally that means you have low viral load (less virions in your blood) and therefore less infectious. But this is not true in the case of those who developed HBeAg negative chronic Hepatitis.

If a person responds to vaccination and develops the HBsAg antibodies, he/she is protected. Absolutely, I would think so. If your doctor thinks otherwise, he should perhaps explain to all of us.

[Geetharam]

One of the medical supplier told us that vaccinations are not very effective. and there are still some chance of getting it even after vaccination both for partner and baby. My Antigen is negative. My doctor initially said that as my antigen is negative, the spreading rate is very very low and the partner dont really have to worry living with me and with vaccination he is completely safe. Is that true? Do you know the people having risk even after vaccination?

[calmama]

Tenofovir is safe during pregnancy.

Your doctor, either the family physician or the GI, can probably recommend a psychiatrist for your husband.  Hopefully he will find his way out.

[StephenCastlecrag]

In America, you can join its Hepatitis B forum - Subscription Directions, Our Disclaimer & Hepatitis B Basic Information:www.hblist.org

It is the oldest Hepatitis B forum and you will find great advice from them.

Statistically, Hepatitis B is more benign for women then men. Treatments for HepB have advanced greatly in the last few years and as I said before, if treated when it is necessary, you will lead a normal life.

[Geetharam]

Thanks. As we saw my dad dying with this problem, he is not able to come out and he really dont want to see me in that situation. But we have identified this with my dad only at his last stage and he got some bacterial infection and as a result the viral load increased. Hope he will really understand and can please suggest some places in united stateswhere we can go for counselling for this aspect? Telephone or in person...

[StephenCastlecrag]

Hepatitis B is a chronic illness affecting over 350 million people worldwide. Most people with HepB can lead a normal, long life if they have regular checkups and have treatment when it is needed. You can have normal healthy babies, just follow the guideline; and your husband will not be infected if he has vaccination (if he has not already developed immunity).

HepB carries stigma and fear because of ignorance. You will most forum members complain most about discrimination.

[Geetharam]

Thanks for your suggestion. We have consulted our gastro and she said i am healthy and i dont have any signs. My husband is tested as HBV negative. My dad recently expired because of liver damage. In my whole family i am the only one being positive next to my Dad. My mom is also tested negative. So my doctor said i am not a carrier and marriage is not a controversy at any time. She advised me to continue the medicine and do the screening every 3 months to check the progress. But all of sudden because of some forums and online sites, my husband is more worried and we are literally at the phase of quitting our marriage life. I am really depressed as I feel like i am going to lose my lovable one in my life. Thoughwe consulted few other doctors as well, he is concerned about few forums and online information. I dont know how to proceed further on this.

[StephenCastlecrag]

Your husband should be tested for HbsAg. If negative, he should be vaccinated.
Because you are on Entecavir, you should consult a liver specialist before planning to have a baby, since Entecavir is a Class C drug. Vertical transmission can be effectively stopped by making sure your baby recieves HBIG + standard HBV vaccination at birth and that your viral load is not too high. Because there are issues concerning your own health and the health of your baby, you should see a Hepatitis B specialist to ensure the best outcome for both of you.