Having children and Hepatitis B

General Discussion
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Are you hep b positive?sorry if this a tough question sir

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Concerning this … I’m hbeag positive and I gave birth recently. Baby was given Hbig and hep vaccine. Are his chances low of contacting it.I’m so scared for my bby. When should I test him…

I’m also on tdf while breastfeeding him. Would it have any side effects on him,should I stop breastfeeding?

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Dear Anni2,

This sounds like appropriate care for your baby and should reduce the likelihood of infection. It is worth testing with a Hepatitis B panel just to confirm that the vaccine has worked, and this will also set your mind at ease in confirming that there has been no infection. My understanding is that this should be done 3–12 months after they complete the infant vaccine course.

TDF concentrations are relatively low in breast milk and breastfeeding has shown to be safe for infants:

Hope this helps,
Thomas

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Hi John, when you state “the vaccine works in 93-95% of people” do you mean 93-95% of individuals become immune to Hep B as a result of being administered the vaccine and it just doesn’t work on the remaining 5-8%? Or, do you mean that 93-95% of individuals won’t catch Hep B? (i.e. what I’m trying to establish is - lets say a vaccinated individual has the necessarily levels of antibodies to block the virus - have there ever been instances of someone being adequately protected via their antibody count, yet still catching the virus?)

Edit: I hope the initial part of my question made sense lol. Please let me know if not and I can clarify

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Dear @Anon2023,

“the vaccine works in 93-95% of people” means 93-95% of people who are vaccinated will mount a protective antibody level. I have not heard of accounts that a vaccinated person with protective levels goes on to get a chronic HBV infection.

Thomas

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That’s good to know! Is there a chance they could get an acute infection?

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They can be exposed, but with vaccination and other precautions, they will clear it without any major long-term effects.

Hope this helps,
Thomas

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I saw a lot of reassuring comments on that post about males (and females) who have Hep B and successfully had kids but was curious to know about anyone who did indeed struggle with fertility and if you were ever able to ultimately have kids of your own?

Also, if someone has inactive Hep B with low / undectable viral loads, does that decrease their chances of struggling with fertility?

I’m just a bit nervous because my partner has PCOS, which is also known to cause fertility issues, so if we both have issues that may cause infertility, I guess that puts us in a rough spot once we think about wanting to start a family of our own.

All that said, I know at the end of the day everyone is different and just because there are chances we may struggle, doesn’t mean it indeed will happen.

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Hi @Anon2023,
There is some evidence that hepatitis B can have an impact on sperm viability and mortality. Based on this study there was no conclusive evidence regarding how wide this is. Certain guys could possible have this problem but I am not sure this is the case for every male/man diagnosed with hepatitis B. Each person is different so don’t let this stop you from starting a family.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.744350.

Best, Bansah1.

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90

Thanks for the insight! I wonder if anyone in the forum has actually had issues having kids. I was trying to read through previous threads but I didn’t see anyone mentioning any infertility issues. To the contrary, I saw many mention having kids, which was comforting to see :slight_smile:

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You are right. The discussion here was about people sharing their experiences of having children. I also know of men with hepatitis who have children. All my siblings have hepatitis B yet they all have multiple children one had a child last year.

There is evidence of infertility in men with hepatitis B compared to those without. This doesn’t mean every man will have this issue. There is a lot of good studies done on this. I saw one from Taiwan making me believe the infertility issues are more likely to affect men in the endemic areas. With that study I think infected men were 1.59 times more likely than those with no infection to have infertility issues.

Don’t give up because of this. If you want a family go for it don’t let this stop you. Good luck, Bansah1.

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Hi @Anon2023,

Agree with @Bansah1 with not giving up. Also given infertility is fairly common in the general population (1 in 6 people), it would probably be difficult to assign it specifically to Hep B itself (rather than the many other issues that can affect fertility) if you did find that some people had trouble conceiving on the forum.

Thomas

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Hi @Anon2023

I came across your post and just wanted to share my experience :slight_smile:

My husband is a chronic Hep B carrier, and I posted on here over a year ago, worrying about male fertility with Hep B, and if we would be able to have children. Coincidently, I also have PCOS which makes me more worried. Not long after that post, I got pregnant and we now have a cute little 3-month-old boy! I hope my experience eases your worry and wish you the best in your journey!

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Congratulations, @Tran-ng. How wonderful for you! Thanks for sharing the news and hope everything is going well for the entire family.

Thomas

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Thank you Thomas! :slight_smile:

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This is heartwarming and refreshing to hear! Congratulations! Praying and hoping for the best for you and your family :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: If you don’t mind me asking, was it difficult to become pregnant? It’s always reassuring to come across others in very similar circumstances!

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Hi @Anon2023,

Surprisingly I got pregnant right away after I discontinued my birth control. I always thought it would take a long time for me so I was mentally prepared, even had a fertility doctor’s information written down. But you never know what life brings you I guess. It is though in fact sooo much work to take care of a baby. My husband and I are exhausted most of the time!

Prior to getting pregnant I was taking Inositol because I heard that helps with PCOS and my OBGYN approved it. Just thought you could maybe give it a try.

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Glad to hear! I’m so happy things worked out in your favor. Interestingly enough, my Gyn actually recommended Inositol to me recently and I purchased some! I’ll definitely be taking it even though I’m not actively trying to get pregnant, but hopefully when the time comes, it’ll make it easier!

Thanks again for sharing your story! Always wonderful to relate to others!

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HI @Tran-ng - how many times a year do you check your titer count to ensure you’re still protected against Hep B? Curious to know how often my s/o should check hers? Is this a yearly check?

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Hi, that’s a good question! I haven’t actually got mine checked and we’ve been together for over 3 years. I just recently donated my breast milk and they tested it for hepB, which came out negative. So I guess I’m still protected from it. But I’ll definitely bring it up with my PCP and have it checked regularly!

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