Question
A woman who has been married for four years and recently discovered she has hepatitis B has unexpectedly become pregnant. She is concerned about the risk of mother-to-child transmission affecting her child and wants to know about the traditional Chinese medicines that can be used to treat hepatitis B without affecting her pregnancy.
Answer
The rate of mother-to-child transmission of the hepatitis B virus during pregnancy can be as high as 33%, so there is indeed a risk of passing the virus on to the newborn. In terms of traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng and astragalus can promote the recovery of liver cells, while lily and Job’s tears can help eliminate damp-heat and improve the working environment of the liver.