Should i be worried of hepatitis contraction?

[Leosulla]

Hello all About 2 years ago i had unprotected vaginal sex and i really didn't think about it much after and didn't even get tested. 2 years later (now) i started to worry abit and did Std test which include HEPATITIS C test. Which i THANKFULLY tested negative for.
My question and worry is, should i be scared if i maybe contracted hepatitis a or b from this exposure? I HAVE been vaccinated for both hepatitis b and a but if i recall currently it was when i was very young, maybe immunity GONE?. I have NOT had any forms of sexual exposure after my encounter 2 years ago.. Please somebody enlighten and clarify to me if i should get this hepatitis worry out of my head? am i fine? please help...

*One more thing, is the hepatitis c test accurate? should i be worried maybe of mistake?

[Lynn K]

Hep c is generally not considered to be an STD although sexual transmisdion is theoretically possible but generally more so in the setting of multiple sexual partners, engaging in rough sex practices or in the presence of co-infection with HIV. In those situations there is greater risk. Hep c is a blood borne virus requiring blood to blood contact meaning hep c infected blood must enter the blood stream of an uninfected person generally by sharing of IV needles or other contaminated medical equipment or in the past before the blood supply was secured by antibody testing for hep c another way was by blood transfusion.

No test is perfect but hep c antibody testing done at 6 months post suspected exposure reasonably assures reliable results.

Hep A is generally a food borne illness most often spread by infected food workers failing to properly wash their hands after using the rest room after bowel movement and then preparing food.

Hep B does have some risk of sexual transmission but likely you would have noticed symptoms if infected with either hep A or B. Hep C generally does not have symptoms for most people until many years (decades) of infection if it then causes liver damage in which case the symptoms would be those of liver disease.

Here are some helpful links

https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav/afaq.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbv/bfaq.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/cfaq.htm

Just to add most of us here are not medical professionals and cannot diagnose any medical condition or offer medical advice. This community is primarily a support community for those with known hepatitis infection living with hepatitis, its treatment, and aftermath.

For answers to medical questions you should consult with a medical professional like your own personal physician they can offer you the best answers to your questions.

Just to add if you are having sexual relations outside of a long term  monogamous relationship I suggest the use of barrier protection in the future ie condoms. That way you can protect yourself against all STD's and also unwanted pregnancies. Plus the added benefit of eliminating future worries about unprotected sexual encounters.

If concerned get tested if positive get treated as needed. But in either case then you can move forward with your life.

Good luck

[Leosulla]

Hi, just one last question.

I have been vaccinated for BOTH hep a and b, however it was like 15-16 years ago when i was very young, do i stilll have the immunity for both?.

For Hep c, i did a blood test last week and thankfully i tested negative. My exposure was 3 years ago, so can i be safe to say my test was accurate?

Thanks

[Lynn K]

I have been vaccinated for BOTH hep a and b, however it was like 15-16 years ago when i was very young, do i stilll have the immunity for both?.

For Hep c, i did a blood test last week and thankfully i tested negative. My exposure was 3 years ago, so can i be safe to say my test was accurate?

As to your vaccinations I believe so but you should ask a doctor about that.

I am not a medical professional of any kind. I am just a person who was infected with hep c for 37 and was cured just 2 years ago. I still have liver cirrhosis for now 9.5 years and I read about hep c and liver disease a lot because of this.


Yes likely your test is accurate that is why ithe same test is used to screen the nations blood supply to prevent hep c infected blood from entering the blood bank system. I do not know the specifics for the stats for false negatives but I assume it is very, very low.

But again the best person to ask about testing accuracy is a doctor.

[gnatcatcher]

For most people, immunity produced by hep a and b vaccinations stays. For a few of us, immunity to hep b dims over time. (I don't know whether that's true for hep a, or for people such as yourself who never had hep C.) Even though I was revaccinated for hep b in 2003, my immunity to hep b was weak enough by 2016 that I needed a booster shot. If your doctor feels you are at risk for diminished immunity, a simple blood test will show whether you still have sufficient immunity to hep a and b.