• Treatment & Management

• Medication Assistance Programs in the U.S.
• 
  Adults Living with Hep B
  • Visiting Your Doctor
  • Protect Your Loved Ones
  • Healthy Liver Tips
  • Online Support Groups
• 
  Children Living with Hep B
  • Adoption
  • Advice for Parents
  • Healthy Liver Tips
  • Hepatitis B and School
  • Online Support Groups
  • Commonly Asked Questions
• 
  Pregnancy and Hep B
  • Protecting Your Baby Through Vaccination
  • Testing and Treatment During Pregnancy
  • Treatment After Pregnancy
  • Breastfeeding
• 
  Treatment Options
  • Approved Drugs for Adults
  • Approved Drugs for Children
  • Clinical Guidelines
  • Herbal Remedies and Supplements
• 
  Clinical Trials
  • About Clinical Trials
  • Helpful Terminology
  • Locating Clinical Trials
  • Narrowing Your Search Further
  • Talking with Your Doctor About Clinical Trials
  • Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer Clinical Trials
  • Hepatitis Delta Clinical Trials
  • About the Drug Development Process
• 
  Physician Directory
  • Physician Registration
• Drug Watch

Breastfeeding

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that all people with hepatitis B should be encouraged to breastfeed their newborns. For guidance you can read the full CDC report and the full WHO report.

The benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risk of infection. Since it is recommended that all infants be vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth, any potential risk is further reduced.

All people should talk to their health care provider about preventing and managing cracked or bleeding nipples to avoid any potential exposure to blood during breastfeeding. 

For people taking antiviral treatment, there is data from HIV literature to support the safety of lamivudine and tenofovir during breastfeeding, but please discuss with your doctor if you have concerns. 

Additional Resource Links:

Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Part 1: Immunization of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (2005)

 

WHO: Hepatitis B and breastfeeding (1996)

 

Page updated October 2020