All about Hepatitis B | Free home Hepatitis B test kit

What is hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a virus that affects the liver.

• Most adults who get hepatitis B get better after a few weeks or months because their immune system fights off the virus.
• Early hepatitis B is called acute hepatitis B. Some people will feel unwell and may even get jaundiced (the skin and eyes turn yellow). Other people will not have any symptoms.
• For some people, hepatitis B does not clear in the first 6 months and lasts in the body for a long time. This is called chronic hepatitis B. If it is not controlled and monitored, it can sometimes cause serious, life-threatening liver damage.

Hepatitis B is usually passed on when the blood of someone with hepatitis B gets into the blood of someone without hepatitis B. It can also be passed on in semen (cum) and vaginal fluids.

It can be passed on:

• During vaginal, anal or oral sex without a condom or dam
• By sharing drug injecting equipment
• From unsterilised tattoo or piercing equipment
• By sharing items like razors, toothbrushes or hair clippers that may have blood on them, although this is uncommon
• If you are hurt by a used needle

If you’re pregnant, it is possible for hepatitis B to be passed on to the baby during the birth. Testing and treatment can prevent this.

A free hepatitis B vaccination can help protect you if you have a higher chance of getting the virus.

What are the symptoms of hepatitis B?

Many people with hepatitis B will not have any noticeable symptoms or may think any symptoms are due to flu or another illness.

Symptoms often appear around 3 months after getting hepatitis B but can also be earlier or later.

Symptoms may include:

• High temperature
• Tiredness
• Feeling or being sick
• Appetite loss
• Tummy pain
• A rash, which may be itchy
• Jaundice (yellow colour in the skin and eyes; you may have dark wee and pale poo)

Symptoms usually go away without treatment after a few weeks or months as the body fights off the virus.

Sometimes the immune system cannot fight off the virus and hepatitis B lasts longer than 6 months – usually for life. This is called chronic hepatitis B.

Only about 1 in 20 adults who get hepatitis B will develop chronic hepatitis B. Some people with chronic hepatitis B may have ongoing symptoms but most have no symptoms for many years. Hepatitis B can still be passed on to other people during this time.

In contrast, most babies that get hepatitis B don’t clear the infection and still have chronic hepatitis B as an adult. This is especially common in people who were born in and grew up in areas of the world where hepatitis B is much more common such as Africa, Asia, the Middle East, parts of South America and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands.

In some people, liver damage caused by chronic hepatitis B can eventually lead to life-threatening conditions, such as cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or liver cancer. Most people with chronic hepatitis B will not get cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Hepatitis B home tests

Many people with the hepatitis B virus don’t notice any symptoms.

We make it easy for you to get a free NHS hepatitis B test if you need one.

If you need support or treatment this is free too. We will help you get the right support to manage the virus.

Test for hepatitis B at home with SH.UKs free STI test kits

Get a free STI test kit delivered to your door. Take a self sample and return via freepost. Access your results online within a week. Check to see if SH.UK offers NHS funded home test kits in your area.

FAQs about free home hepatitis B tests

Why do I need a free home hepatitis B test kit?

Many people with hepatitis B will not have any symptoms, so you could have it without knowing.

Hepatitis B can easily be passed on to sexual partners or through blood-to-blood contact.

If your own or a sexual partner’s immune system cannot fight off the hepatitis B virus it can eventually lead to life-threatening liver damage.

Detecting hepatitis B early so it can be managed is the best way to help stop any serious damage.

Who is a hepatitis B test for?

If you are sexually active, it’s a good idea to test for STIs once a year or when you have a new partner, especially if you have sex without a condom. Some people may be advised to test more often.

When you order a free STI testing kit, we will ask a few questions to check if you could be at higher risk of hepatitis B and benefit from hepatitis B testing.

Check who is at higher risk of hepatitis B.

When should I take a home hepatitis B test?

Take a test now if:

• you have any symptoms of hepatitis B or
• a sexual partner has hepatitis B or another STI

Depending on your symptoms, we may advise you to get tested at a clinic instead of doing a home test yourself. Check and order now .

Consider waiting for 3 months after your last sexual contact if:

• you have no symptoms
• you just want a sexual health check-up

This helps your test be as accurate as possible. Hepatitis B may not show up on a test straight away. Testing too early may mean you test negative even if you do have early hepatitis B. More about when to take a test.

How do I order a free hepatitis B test?

Order your free SH.UK STI testing kit online.

• Answer a few quick questions
• We work out which tests are best for you
• Your free personalised test kit arrives by post in the next few days – in a discreet plain package

If you would rather get tested at a sexual health service, search for your nearest clinic:

• Find clinics across England
• Find London clinics

How do I complete a hepatitis B self-test kit?

At-home hepatitis B test testing is done with a simplefinger-prick blood test .

Your STI testing kit comes with everything you need to take your own blood sample. This is called self-sampling . You need a very small amount of blood – less than 1 millilitre.

You pack your samples into the freepost box and send them back to our lab for testing. You can post them in any Royal Mail postbox.

When will I get my hepatitis B test results?

You will usually get your results 2 or 3 days after your sample arrives at our lab.

You will be able to view the results online. They are completely secure and private.

Order your hepatitis B testing kit now to get your results as soon as possible.

What happens when I have my hepatitis B test results?

An SH.UK home hepatitis B test can show whether you have:

• Hepatitis B now, and whether it’s acute or chronic
• Had hepatitis B in the past
• Never had hepatitis B

An SH.UK home hepatitis B test cannot tell if you are immune to hepatitis B due to vaccination, but a blood test at a sexual health clinic or GP can tell you this.

Positive hepatitis B tests

If you test positive for hepatitis B, we will tell you if it is more likely to be acute or chronic.

Our Health Advisers will refer you to a specialist service that can help you to manage the virus.

Negative hepatitis B tests

A negative result means hepatitis B was not detected.

It can take up to 3 months before hepatitis B shows up on a test.

If it’s been less than 3 months since you could have been exposed to hepatitis B, it is advisable to test again later to check that you still get a negative result.

If you test negative for hepatitis B, we will advise whether you could benefit from a hepatitis B vaccination

How is hepatitis B treated?

For most adults with a new infection, hepatitis B goes away without treatment. This can be in a few weeks or can take a few months.

During this time, it can help to:

• Get plenty of rest
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs to help your liver get better
• Keep cool and wear loose clothes if you have an itchy rash

You may be offered painkillers or medicine to stop you feeling sick and may be offered a check-up with a liver specialist.
If you have chronic hepatitis B:

• You may be offered antiviral medicine and medicine to help with any symptoms, but not everyone needs treatment
• Treatment can’t cure chronic hepatitis B but can help to manage it
• You will need to see a liver specialist for regular check-ups
• Your liver specialist will discuss the best ways to manage the virus
• You will usually be advised to cut out or limit alcohol because it can cause additional liver damage

Contacting partners

If you have hepatitis B, you will usually be asked to tell current and previous sexual partners and anyone who you have shared drug injecting equipment with.

Partners will be offered a free hepatitis B test. They may also be offered a free hepatitis B vaccination or other treatment.

Informing, testing and treating partners lowers the chances of:

• Hepatitis B causing serious liver damage in a partner
• Hepatitis B being passed on to anyone else

If you feel unable to tell sexual partners, one of our Health Advisers can tell them without revealing your identity.

Preventing hepatitis B and other STIs in future

If your body fights off hepatitis B, you will not usually get it again – but you can still get other types of hepatitis. You will usually be offered free a hepatitis A vaccine and a test for hepatitis D.

gonorrhoea, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C.

If you’re at higher risk of getting hepatitis B in the future, a vaccination can help prevent this. Check to see if you could be at higher risk of hepatitis B and benefit from a vaccination.

To help protect your health in future, use condoms, test for STIs at least once a year, and encourage sexual partners to test for STIs too.

If you are HIV negative, you may benefit from an HIV prevention medicine called PrEP.

Test for hepatitis B at home with a free STI test kit

Get a free STI test kit delivered to your door. Take a self-sample and return it for free. Get results online within a week.

• Trusted NHS-funded hepatitis B self-testing kits
• Discreet delivery across the UK
• Fast confidential results
• Help getting the right treatment
• All tests and treatment are free

Check which home STI tests you can get

Reviewed by Dr John White on 4th March 2025.

Related Pages:

• Free hepatitus B home test kit
• Finger prick blood self sampling

External Resources

• www.nhs.uk/conditions/Hepatitis-B/
• www.bashh.org/resources/55/hepatitis_b/
• www.britishlivertrust.org.uk/information-and-support/liver-conditions/hepatitis-b/