Men taking entecavir vs. reproduction

[Diogene]

I am taking baraclude for 3 years. My wife and I are thinking to have a baby. One doctor says it's not safe to do this while still on medication. Another one states the oposite. I looked for studies but all I could find was refferring to situations in which women are undrer treatment. Nothing on men under treatment. So I am quite confuse now. Is it or is it not a problem to have a baby while the man is under treatment?

[Jatashankar]

No u/males can have baby while on etv. All HBV antivirals are inhibitors of either nucleoside or nucleotide polymerases. Although these drugs preferentially target the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase of HBV, they also interfere with replication of mitochondrial DNA, and this can result in mitochondrial toxicity, however it is very uncommon in adults and less likely to alter potency and chromosomal array of a sperm. For females, no antiviral agent has been approved by the FDA for use in pregnancy. Whether she should continue therapy depends upon liver status of the mother and the fetus individually. ex. fibrosed liver mother needs to continue therapy compulsarily.

[Jatashankar]

ur thought of transfering etv via semen to ur wife and affecting embrogenesis carry insignificant weightage.

[sorte]

Anyway, my doctor recommends male to switch to TDF for that period, I guess to TAF in the future.

[Hopetocure]

As long as your wife has a vaccine and immune to Hbv you can have a baby. I have been taking Etv for 4 years, I just had a healthy baby.  No problem at all. Just check ur wife first, if she is free from Hbv u can have a child

[prom00]

Hello Stef, Based on what you say? Regards

[stef2011]

only mother cannot use etv, male can take any

[sorte]

how about the situation when she's already pregnant and partner uses etv, so has some trace amounts of it in his sperm and they still have sex ?

[hepbcurepls]

My doctor told me there was a study done at UCSF with pregnant women on TDF vs not on TDF. Abnomal congenialities were at 2.4% without TDF and and on 2.5% on TDF. Please take into consideration this is just 1 study of TDF and pregnancy. I asked him about male and TDF and he told me just like ETV there were no data collected so it must be on the black box warning. He also told me that his other patients were on TDF and ETV and when getting their wives pregnant everything turned out fine.

[prom00]

I am in the same situation for a second child. Did not start yet a treatment. Since TAF is soon to be release, should I start with Entecavior or TAF directly? I assume that if TDF was more "safe" for a male, TAF would better?!
Is there any study on procreation while on TDF? Regards

[Zamsu]

I don't know about it when I was first starting I told him I'm going to get married soon can me and my wife get babes while I'm taking this? Then he said to me yes you can, entecavir is ok no problem for men then I started and we have been trying all that five years but no luky.

[stef2011]

etv cannot be prescribed on pregnancy so i dont understand how the doctor feel safe on that prescription, you can sue him

[Zamsu]

Should I totally stop entecavir or should I swch to TDF?

Thanks stef,

[sorte]

my doctor opinion: it's better to switch to TDF from ETV when trying to have a baby.
Problem is not the moment of fertilization but sometimes woman is pregant since 2-3 months and don't know about it. So in that period woman gets some small amounts of antiviral through partners sperm, and we don't know if it may affect embryo, so better prevent it by using condom.

[hepbcurepls]

i just had this conversation with my doctor about ETV and getting the wife pregnant. He told me that there was no data on ETV and male so getting the wife pregnant was not recommended.

[sorte]

how about TDF ?

[stef2011]

after few months had misscarage

you can t be pregnant and use etv, why are you using etv instead of tdf which is the most potent, cheaper and good for pregnancy?

[Zamsu]

I am male and I have been taking entecavir for more than five years me and my wife have been trying no lucky at all, before I start taking it my wife got pregnant and after few months had misscarage. I don't know what's going on we still tring.

[Zamsu]

I am male and I have been taking entecavir for more than five years me and my wife have been trying no lucky at all, before I start taking it my wife got pregnant and after few months had misscarage. I don't know what's going on we still tring.

[stef2011]

she better change job, she can t be a doctor and be so ignorant on basic/elementary things, she s a danger for patients.avoid that doctor like plague

[Diogene]

Thank you very much for your replies. It is a big step forward for me.
My doctor still claims it is not safe but she does not seem to be so sure of it, if confrunted. I start to believe she is not well informed on the matter.

[Taj82]

just check  HBsAB titres of your wife if more than 10miu then you can plan for a family for sure and if below that go for vaccination first and then you can proceed

[cyrus131]

Hi Diogene,

I have been on entecavir 0.5mg for more than 6 years and during the treatment I and my wife have a baby boy and baby girl and they are now 4 and 2 years old and are perfectly healthy.  This is just my personal experience and hope this helps.  I remember that I did ask my doctor about having children and he said it is ok for male taking entecavir.

Regards,

Cyrus