Hi Marigold, welcome to the forum. Hopefully you’ll find some answers and much needed support! For everyone who is first diagnosed with HBV it comes as a huge shock. Most of us didn’t even know what hepatitis B is or what it means. The fact that your IVF doc didn’t tell you about the positive HBV test isn’t surprising. A lot of docs don’t really understand the HBV blood test results! Sometimes they think people are infected when they’re not, and vice versa. I’m quite impressed that you knew to post all of your lab results. Are you a doctor or healthcare professional? To my eye as a trained nurse, your blood tests look pretty good. Not sure whether you have what’s called e-antigen negative chronic hep B (aka precore mutant) since your viral levels are pretty low and your AST/ALT are within normal limits? Hopefully some other knowledgeable scientists/docs on the forum will weigh in. But since you’re going to see a hepatologist next week, you can ask him or her to clearly explain what kind of chronic HBV and what your lab tests mean. You will also want to find out IF you’re eligible for treatment and if so, whether it’s a good idea since you still want to get pregnant in the near future? You will also want to know if anyone else in your family has tested positive for HBV and/or has had liver disease such as cirrhosis or liver cancer? One other practical tip is to be sure to ask for copies of your blood test results and the fibroscan as well. It’s good to have documentation for your future reference.
As a nurse by training and having lived "knowingly"with chronic HBV for 32 years (I was diagnosed at 30 years and literally collapsed in the doctor’s office from the shock). So I definitely understand the different stages people go through when first diagnosed. The good news is that you have a strong support network of family, friends and a therapist. You’re way ahead of a lot of people who are first diagnosed. Dating with HBV is a tough topic, but I like to remind folks that we have a secret weapon in telling others - there’s an effective vaccine that can be taken. Not many other “STDs” have that to offer as an option. So once a relationship gets to the point that both folks have to share their “medical history,” there’s some relief to be able to tell your potential partner that there’s an effective vaccine, which confers more than 50% protection after the first dose, and combined with the use of condoms, there’s a lot of protection available until they can complete the 2 or 3-dose vaccine series.
Although technically I’m not a doctor or scientists, my educated guess about your banked eggs is that they’re going to be just fine. Chronic HBV is an infectious disease, not a genetic one. So when the lucky day happens and you have your eggs fertilized, the risk of HBV transmission will be at the time of delivery when there’s a huge gush of blood exchange between you and the newborn. Some infected pregnant women who have high viral loads (you would have to check with your hepatologist throughout the pregnancy) benefit from taking an antiviral drug (e.g. Tenofovir) in the last 3 months to reduce their viral load; thereby, reducing the risk of transmission at delivery. I have an entire response for women who are getting ready to deliver because you only have ONE chance to protect your newborn from getting an HBV infection, but I don’t want to overload you now. You may have already stopped reading?!
Finally, in terms of living your daily life with hep B, my very best advice is to use simple common sense. Hep B is transmitted through blood, unprotected sex, unsterile needles and drug paraphernalia, and from an infected mother to her newborn at delivery. So, you just want to follow good personal hygiene (cover cuts, dispose of menstrual pads and tampax appropriately, don’t share toothbrushes/razors, etc.), avoid drug use, and make sure your newborn receives the first dose of HBV vaccine and one dose HBIG immediately after delivery.
On a daily basis, you can share meals with others, cook for them, use the same bathrooms, and live as you normally would. There really are no special precautions or procedures you need to follow. Live your life with joy and love!! Just be mindful of your blood and follow safe sex practices until your partner is fully vaccinated.
Ok this is way too long and others may tell me to stop writing so much. But please feel free to ask any other specific questions. There are many others on this forum who can share what they’ve learned as well. Thanks for joining and listening. Hope to hear more from you!
Cheers, Joan