Is Hepatitis a Sexually Transmitted Infection?

Some types of viral hepatitis can be transmitted through sexual contact, in addition to being transmitted via other routes. Each type of hepatitis virus has a different risk of being transmitted through sex.

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Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is spread easily by casual person-to-person contact and by food or water contaminated by the feces of infected people. This is called the fecal-oral route or the hand-to-mouth route. You can be infected with hepatitis A in many ways that don't require sharing body fluids or needles. Intimate contact during sex can result in transmitting hepatitis A, especially anal/oral contact, but it definitely isn't limited to that kind of contact. There is a vaccine to prevent hepatitis A.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B virus is the type of hepatitis most commonly linked with being sexually transmitted, as it is present in semen, body fluids, and blood that are shared during condomless sex. It is also transmitted through sharing needles or razors and other blood exposure, such as during childbirth between the mother or birthing parent and the child.

Its only route of transmission is through blood and body fluids and it isn't transmitted through other routes. You can't catch it from a toilet seat or from casual contact with any object an infected person has simply touched. The good news is that hepatitis B can be prevented by a vaccine.

Hepatitis C

The sexual transmission of hepatitis C was once considered very rare and not considered to be a major mode of transmission for the virus. Usually, the hepatitis C virus is transmitted through needle-sharing blood exposure during the use of injection drugs and, to a much lesser extent, through exposures in healthcare settings. Some cases of hepatitis C infection have been reported via occupational and perinatal exposure.

However, studies reporting on hepatitis C infections since the mid-2000s have found an increasing number of infections in men who have sex with men. The risk is still very low among heterosexual couples in regular relationships. There is an increased risk for people who have multiple sexual partners and for people living with HIV. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.

Reducing Your Risk

To help reduce your risk of getting hepatitis sexually, use an external condom (also known as a condom that is placed on the penis) during every act of vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse. Internal condoms (also known as condoms placed in the vagina or anus) can also be used. If using an internal condom for anal intercourse, remember to remove the inner ring.

Learn how to use condoms appropriately to prevent body fluid exposure during sex. This will also reduce your risk of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and genital herpes.

Talk with a healthcare provider about getting a vaccine for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. These immunizations have been standard for many years. Be aware that while they may reduce your risk for hepatitis, they won't reduce your risk for other STIs. You should still use safer sex precautions as a line of defense against STIs.

7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is viral hepatitis?

  2. Trujillo-Ochoa JL, Viera-Segura O, Fierro NA. Challenges in management of hepatitis: a virus epidemiological transition in MexicoAnn Hepatol. 2019;18(1):14-22. doi:10.5604/01.3001.0012.7857

  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexual transmission and viral hepatitis.

  4. Agrawal A, Kolhapure S, Andani A, et al. Long-term persistence of antibody response with two doses of inactivated hepatitis A vaccine in childrenInfect Dis Ther. 2020;9(4):785-796. doi:10.1007/s40121-020-00311-8

  5. Roberts H, Jiles R, Harris AM, Gupta N, Teshale E. Incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted hepatitis B, United States, 2013-2018Sex Transm Dis. 2021;48(4):305-309. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001359

  6. Woodring J, Pastore R, Brink A, Ishikawa N, Takashima Y, Tohme RA. Progress toward hepatitis B control and elimination of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus - Western Pacific Region, 2005-2017MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(8):195-200. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6808a2

  7. Nijmeijer BM, Koopsen J, Schinkel J, Prins M, Geijtenbeek TB. Sexually transmitted hepatitis C virus infections: current trends, and recent advances in understanding the spread in men who have sex with men. J Int AIDS Soc. 2019;22 Suppl 6(Suppl Suppl 6):e25348. doi:10.1002/jia2.25348

Additional Reading

By Buddy T
Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.