Group B Strep
We can probably all remember at some point having the sore throat and fever of strep throat. However Group B Strep is not a sore throat in one’s vagina (and thank goodness for that).
Group B Strep, otherwise known as GBS, is a generally harmless bacteria that makes its home in the intestinal track of our bodies. It is generally intermittent and it is thought that roughly 1/3 of the population has this bacteria hanging out deep in their intestines at any given time.
While GBS is not a big deal for most adults, during their little trip through the birth canal some babies pick up GBS and a small number of those babies will become sick. Babies that are born prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy, those whose membranes were broken for an extended period or whose mothers ran a fever during labor are at greater risk of infection. Typically in the US a woman is not told much about GBS and may not even know what they are being tested for when they are given a routine vaginal swab late in their pregnancy. However, there is math behind GBS and here is how it breaks down:
– An expecting woman has a 1 in 3 chance of carrying GBS
– If she has it and does nothing, there is a 1 in 200 (0.5%) chance that her baby will get GBS
– If the baby gets GBS, there is a 6% chance that he will develop severe complications/die
– 3 out of 10,000 (0.03%) of babies born to GBS positive mothers NOT treated will die
– 1 out of 10,000 (0.01%) of babies born to GBS positive mothers who ARE treated will die
What does testing positive for Group B Strep mean for my birth?
Obviously without or without treatment, the odds are highly favorable that a baby born to a GBS positive woman will be healthy. However, to mitigate the small but real risk, the current standard of care offered in most hospitals is to treat any woman who tests positive for GBS (either via the vaginal test in the third trimester or at anytime in the pregnancy in her urine) with IV antibiotics during labor. Typically a laboring woman will receive the medication every 4 hours during labor until the baby is born, though the type of medication thus the frequency may change based on individual situations. Care providers may also limit vaginal exams and avoid breaking the baby’s amniotic sac early in labor as way to further reduce risk.
I want to close by saying that if a woman tests positive for Group B Strep, this does not mean that she must be hooked up to an IV her whole labor. It takes 20-40 mins for the IV bag to empty and mom will receive a bag only once every 4 hours. After the bag is empty, the IV port may be made into a saline lock leaving the laboring woman free to move as desired. The IV can be timed to be given during a period when the care provider also monitors the baby, that way both are done concurrently and mom can then be left alone for a while.
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