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Should I Be Concerned For Having Positive Blood Test During Prenatal Screening Test?
I'm 37 year old, first pregnancy ever, 13 weeks, had prenatal screening tests at 12 weeks. Today my doctor told me that my blood test result is positive and I need to do further test to find out if I have Hepatitis B or not. She also suggested that my husband do the blood test. I'm very worried about the health of the baby, can you please tell me what is going on?
Mon, 27 Jan 2014
Hello, I would be happy to help you with your question.
From what you are saying, you had prenatal labs drawn and the test for hepatitis B was positive (it is usually testing for something called Hepatitis B surface antigen). If this is positive, then you need additional testing to determine if you are acutely or chronically infected. And yes, I agree that your husband must be tested as well to see if he is affected. There is not a terribly huge concern for the fetus, but if you are infected, then there should be consideration of ways to decrease the risk of transmission, especially during the delivery. You should ask for a consultation with a high-risk OB, called a Perinatologist to sort this completely out.
I hope that this helps and good luck!
From what you are saying, you had prenatal labs drawn and the test for hepatitis B was positive (it is usually testing for something called Hepatitis B surface antigen). If this is positive, then you need additional testing to determine if you are acutely or chronically infected. And yes, I agree that your husband must be tested as well to see if he is affected. There is not a terribly huge concern for the fetus, but if you are infected, then there should be consideration of ways to decrease the risk of transmission, especially during the delivery. You should ask for a consultation with a high-risk OB, called a Perinatologist to sort this completely out.
I hope that this helps and good luck!
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