I have some questions regarding immunity and risk.
my girlfriend has CHB (lifelong).
I have been vaccinated against Hepatitis 6 times. (3 times when a child, 2 times as required by military, 1 additional dose after meeting my GF)
my Antibodies (before the additional dose was 15.xx mUi/mL)
my current antibodies are 600 mUi/mL
my Girflriends information (blood work). She has been taking Vemlidy daily for 3+ years.
HBsAg antigen Positive
HBsAB antibody Negative
HB DNA “not detected” <10
HBeAg Negative <0.1
HBeAb antibody “Positive” >0.1
Her doctor says that her risk of transmission is very low. What is my risk regarding daily life, intimacy, unprotected intercourse, etc.
From everything that I have read, basically I have virtually complete protection and have nothing to be worried about. The doctor also provided me paperwork saying that my results say I am “IMMUNE”.
What about around other people (who have also been vaccinated)?
but I would just like to hear from others regarding all of this.
Best boyfriend in the whole world…Taking your time to learn about this is amazing…Am just here to give you, your flowers but we have doctors and highly experienced people who will advice you.
Be blessed. Take care of her and your self.
Hi @Tbox1,
Great question. I agree with your doctor. You should not have any issues with HBV because you have a strong antibody that provides you protection. I cant say the same about other STIs, so, I will encourage you both to practice safe sex so you don’t get exposed to other infections unless you are monogamous. Best, Bansah1
My liver specialist recommended checking both partners HBV DNA viral load even though HBsAB is positive. When you do the triple panel HBV test annually you can request the HBV DNA viral load test to be safe. The result most likely show “undetected” since HBsAb is positive but good to check since anything is possible with this virus.
Yes, it’s great that you’re taking such pro-active measures and indeed great that your antibody levels are so high and at a protective level. Indeed there is nothing to worry about in your situation with respect to transmission. I myself am in a similar relationship with someone who is HBV-negative and we have had no issues so far after >10 years.
Is it really necessary to triple panel test myself every year just because my partner has it.
I’ve been vaccinated 6 times and her doctor said her medication is working so well for her that risk of transmission to anybody is close to 0%.
I’ve spent countless hours reading and gathering information and this is such an interesting and unique virus.
And there is a lot of conflicting information. On one hand it says her having low viral load and HBe antibodies is a good sign there are also reports that having e antigen negative and that antibody is a bad sign.
I’ve already read through dozens of pubmed journals to try to better understand this.
There are reports of e antigen negative e antibody positive being possibly higher risk but it doesn’t mention if that person is a result of that due to medication.
I agree that the likelihood of transmission is negligible in your case, @Tbox1. My understanding is that most @HealthExperts would not suggest annual screening. But it is mostly up to your own peace of mind.
Just want to update you guys.
From Sept 2024 to Sept 2025, I have been with this woman daily.
We are in an exclusive relationship, never used protection. I do not take any precautions or anything out of normal daily life. I have even been exposed to her blood.
A year later, my antibodies are still good, got checked, I’m 100% perfectly fine.
Also she’s an amazing woman, we are getting married.
Fantastic news, @Tbox1! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and thanks for keeping us updated. This whole community wishes you all the best. You’re a real inspiration to all of us!
I am in the same situation too. My partner has HBV with a DNA load of 190,000 IU/mL. I checked my antibody level, and it was >150 IU/L. I was worried but the specialist said there is no chance I can get infected. So far, all good. Thanks for sharing it is so nice to know that.
I have CHB. I was married for 18 years. Partner was vaccinated during the first year of marriage. We were intimate before he was fully vaccinated. He did not get the virus. Not that I’m recommending unprotected sex!
I don’t remember him having annual testing for the virus. Once vaccinated, I assumed he was protected. Our children were vaccinated too.
Even though we’re using protection (because we don’t want children), I don’t think unprotected sex can cause me trouble -the chance of being infected for me is low. HBV vaccines are based on the S region of the HBsAg, which is highly conserved among different genotypes. I also read through breakthrough infection cases, and many of them are because the HBsAb is lower than 10 IU/L; otherwise, it would be immune-escape mutants, which are very rare.
My dad is a hepatobiliary surgeon, and he agrees. However, my partner has started antiviral treatment, and his ALT and AST are back to normal. Before the treatment, he went through a flare in his ALT and AST. My dad was worried that the inflammation could cause damage to his liver, so my partner started Entecavir.
it is so nice to know that.