Hepatitis B Screening
Infection with the Hepatitis B virus causes an inflammation of the liver. If left untreated, this disease can develop into liver cancer or cause death.
It is recommended that a woman who is thinking of becoming pregnant, or who is already pregnant, have a simple blood test for the Hepatitis B virus. If the disease is detected before pregnancy, the woman can be treated so that a future baby is not at risk for infection. If already pregnant when the infection is detected, treatment should start, and the baby would receive treatment at birth to make sure the disease does not develop.
A negative test for the virus means either there is no current infection, or there is not yet a sufficient amount of the marker to be detected. If a woman participates in high risk activities that may transmit the Hepatitis B virus, such as unprotected sexual contact or intravenous drug use, it is recommended that she be retested later.
Related Tests: Hepatitis B
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