Chronic Hepatites B and Pregnancy: Challenges and opportunities (Review Article)

Hepatitis B is one of the major health problems in the world, especially in developing countries. About 5 percents of women are carriers of this disease, mother to child transmission also known as” vertical transmission” is the most common mode of transmission. The aim of this study is to provide information for health workers and new knowledge by focusing on the different issues concerning chronic hepatitis B in pregnant women and those who are considering getting pregnant
Data of this study were collected using various studies from following databases: Google Scholar, PubMed (Medline) and Scopus also World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites. A comprehensive search was conducted by the keywords of hepatitis B and pregnancy and hepatitis B. Searching strategies were done by advanced search capability. All examined articles were published during the last 5 years (2010-15) which were in English and had full text. After the initial search and the reference list, a total of 43 articles were included in this study.
This article deals with the different aspects of chronic hepatitis in pregnancy. To begin with, hepatitis has no effect on fertility, but in case of using IVF, lower fertility rates have been reported in infected infertile patients. Second: screening and preventive measures (such as monoprophylaxis and new methods of drug and immunoglobulin use) to prevent vertical transmission in pregnant women were considered. Third; antiretroviral therapy in pregnant women should be based on the therapeutic protocol. Finally; cesarean delivery is not advised in infected women unless it is performed before the beginning of labor. There might be the need for further investigation and infected women should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies.
Pregnancy is a perfect opportunity to stop the transmission of hepatitis B, especially in developing countries. Within this context, we can develop strategies as an important step to reduce the burden of disease, still further investigations yet to be done.