Categories: Diseases & Conditions

Group B Strep During Pregnancy — Frequently Asked Questions for Women Diagnosed with GBS

Group B Streptococcus is a generally harmless bacterial infection of the vagina or rectum. As many as 1 in 4 pregnant women tested for group B strep are positive. If you test positive, extra precautions need to be taken to reduce your chances of passing it on to your child during delivery.

When I was 36 weeks pregnant, I became a part of that 25 percent. I tested positive for GBS and was nervous that I was going to harm my baby. After my doctor assured me that those chances are very slight once I got my antibiotic drip started. I blamed myself for doing something wrong, but I realized there was nothing I could have really done to prevent being GBS positive.

One aspect that acted like rain on my parade was I had to go to the doctors pretty early in labor to get my antibiotic started and ended up being at the hospital for 24 of my 38 hours spent in labor. I would have rather been in the comfort of my own home without an IV drip stuck to my arm, but I had to do what I had to do in order to keep my baby as safe as possible.

In case you fall into this group or are worried about GBS, here are some common questions and answers:

How will I know if I have it?
In the United States, group B strep, or GBS, is routinely tested for around the 35th-37th week of pregnancy. A doctor will take a Q-tip swab of your vaginal and rectal area and confirm whether you are positive or negative after she gets the lab results back. Lab results generally take 24 hours to seven days.

Why is it tested so late?
GBS comes and goes. A woman carrying GBS may show a negative test result in her 10th week of pregnancy, but may have a “flare-up” around delivery time. It is important to know whether or not a woman shows positive results for GBS as close to her delivery date as possible.

What extra precautions do I need to take?
When you are admitted into the hospital, you will receive an IV that administers antibiotics, usually Penicillin, throughout your labor and delivery. If your water breaks, you need to go to the hospital immediately to begin your antibiotic treatment because ruptured membranes increase your risk of infection. The hospital I delivered in preferred to have woman receiving antibiotics for at least four hours before delivery. Once your baby is born, doctors will routinely check his or her temperature to make your baby does not develop a fever.

What sort of complications and risks are there for my baby if I test positive?
A woman undergoing a vaginal delivery has a small chance of passing GBS to her baby. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 200 babies contract GBS if the mother is not treated with antibiotics during labor and delivery and 1 in 4,000 contract GBS if antibiotics are given. If a baby becomes infected, antibiotics need to be administered and the baby will be closely monitored for any breathing problems, fever, gastrointestinal problems, kidney problems, sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis.

What if I go into labor before I am tested?
It is recommended that all women, regardless if they have been tested or not, be given antibiotics during labor as a precautionary measure .

Remember that GBS is a common infection that rarely poses any serious risk during labor and delivery. It is important, however, to take the extra precautions to ensure your baby does not become infected with GBS.