Hepatitis B

How can you get hepatitis B?

You can get hepatitis B through:

• Anal sex without a condom
• Rimming 
• Sharing sex toys
• Fisting without clean gloves or without washing your hands
• Blood, for example by injecting drugs or sharing a razor or a toothbrush
• Blowjobs. But this is not very common

At first, you might not have symptoms or notice that you have hepatitis B. As a result, you pass on the STD without even knowing.  

What are the symptoms of hepatitis B?

Usually, hepatitis B does not cause symptoms. If you do get symptoms, they often appear 2-3 months after getting the STD. They can last up to 6 months. After that period, you could still feel tired for months.

You could have these symptoms:

• Feeling tired
• Feeling unwell, nausea, fever
• Less appetite
• Muscle or bone pain
• Spots on your skin
• Stomach ache
• Jaundice: the whites of your eyes become yellow. Your skin gets yellowish, your pee gets darker, and your poo could become pale

Other symptoms?

Do you have other symptoms? They could be caused by something else. So it’s important to go to your GP or to the GGD. Don’t wait too long and make an appointment.

Check out the symptoms of other STDs

Getting tested for hepatitis B

If you have various sex partners, you should get tested for HIV and STDs 2 times a year. You should also do this if your partner has various sex partners.

Before getting your free vaccination against hepatitis B, you will get tested for the disease. After vaccination, testing for this STD will no longer be necessary.

Are you not vaccinated against hepatitis B? You should absolutely get tested for hepatitis B in these cases:

• If you have symptoms that could be caused by hepatitis B
• If you had sex with someone who has hepatitis B

Where can you get tested?

You can get tested for hepatitis B at your GP’s or at the GGD.

How is a test done?

A hepatitis B test goes like this:

• The doctor or nurse uses a needle to take a blood sample from your arm
• The blood is examined in the lab

Usually, after a couple of days you get your result. If you have hepatitis B, the GGD will give you an appointment for a consultation. During the consultation you will receive information about:

• Treating hepatitis B
• How to make sure you don’t pass on hepatitis B
• How to best inform your sex partners
• Free vaccination for your sex partners and housemates

Treating hepatitis B

Hepatitis B usually heals within 6 months. Do not drink alcohol during this time, so your liver can recover properly. After healing from hepatitis B, you won’t get the disease again.

Sometimes it doesn’t heal on its own. And you can still pass it on to others. In this case, you can get medication to limit the effects of the disease on your body.

Preventing hepatitis B

This is how you protect yourself against hepatitis B: 

• Use condoms
• Get a free vaccination

Did you have hepatitis B before? Then you can't get it again and you don't need a vaccination.

Read more about hepatitis B vaccination