My female friend found out she has hep b while pregnant. Does hep b affect pregnancy and she was told she cud give birth early at 28 weeks.
What effect does hep has on a pregnancy
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Hi @Chukwu,
Let your friend know that she is not alone and we empathize with her. Yes, she can pass the virus onto her unborn child during the birthing process. She will need to see a specialist to run further tests so they will know more about her condition. Based on the tests, they will consider treatment and also make sure HBV immunoglobulin and vaccine are present and given to the baby within 24 hours. This will help prevent the baby from getting infected. This is a very important step, if they miss this window it could be too late to stop the infection. Aside from being able to pass on the virus, HBV does not affect the pregnancy itself. I hope this is helpful and all the best to your friend. Bansah1
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Thanks basnsah. So it is not the hbv that is making the baby want to come out early, she was thinking maybe it is the hbv
Hi @Chukwu,
Interesting question. There has been a meta-study done on this question that shows there is a slightly increased chance of pre-term birth in people with Hepatitis B - (The effect of hepatitis B virus on the risk of pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies | Virology Journal | Full Text). It is very small increase that was only able to be measured looking at millions of pregnant mothers. The reason behind this is not clear.
Thomas