Group B Strep - what is it & how would i know if i had it ??

[Naterjack]

Just watching a program on Sky and the girl in labour has an infection called group B strep.
MW said that they give Antibiotics as it is only fatal to newborns - but that got me thinking ..... how would you kow if you had it ?

Is this something we all get tested for ?
I had the usual blood tests , HIV, Antibodies, etc, but cant see any reference to this ?

Any ideas?

 

[mum's the word]

http://www.gbss.org.uk/?gclid=CIDkzJ7Mg ... MAodUGoaYw

You can order a test and have it done privately for around £30. My midwife tested me for it when I said I was worried. It can be symptom-less but one thing to look out for is excessive discharge.

 

[nori]

I had allsorts of thoughts on this. You can get it done privately and i actually sent off for all the kits. When i went to my obstetrician though he seemed to poo poo the idea and just said "why bother" and "it will get picked up if theres a problem". Im not so sure about his comment but i decided not to have it purely because alot of woman will test positive and nothing will become of it. If i had tested positive then i would have had to have antibiotics which have a habit of making my crohns flare.

I would probably have had it done though if that wasnt the case.

Claire x

 

[ninjawomble]

They test you at 36 weeks, but you can test negative one day and be positive the next, and vice versa. Its a very small risk.
I wondered as Ive tested positive for it before during a routine smear test, but MW said its such small risk its not worth it, and not very reliable.

 

[mummy_ov_2]

i had it with my last pregnancy and had stupid vaginal pessary things
ive got to be tested in this pregnancy too
by the time id finished the course of anti-biotics it had gone tho. its nothing to worry about