All About: GBS Testing

Are you pregnant and wondering about Group Beta Streptococcus (GBS) testing? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that all pregnant people get tested for GBS at around 35-36 weeks of pregnancy. This is because GBS is a bacteria that can be found in about 10-30% of pregnant people, and those who test positive are at a much higher risk of having a baby who gets sick from GBS.

It's important to note that the test can't be done in labor because it takes a couple of days to get the results. But, don't worry - most newborns are immune to the harmful effects of GBS. However, about 1% of term newborns whose parent had a positive GBS culture can become ill with Early-Onset GBS Disease. If the culture is “heavy growth” the risk increases to 8%. If illness develops it is often severe and these infants can die.

The CDC recommends that pregnant people who test positive for GBS receive IV antibiotics during labor to protect their newborns. They also recommend treating anyone who had a previous child with GBS disease, GBS presence in the urine with this pregnancy, or a history of preterm delivery. However, oral antibiotics in pregnancy or labor are not effective for treating GBS.

There's also some promising preliminary research regarding probiotic supplementation that suggests it could help eradicate GBS in some people who have previously tested positive. Some midwives have also found that including probiotics in your daily diet, especially lactobacillus rhamnoses, can lower your risk of testing positive for GBS.

While research on Chlorhexidine vaginal washes has shown similar or lower rates of newborn GBS colonization compared to IV antibiotics, it's not a standard of care for GBS in the US at this time. Pediatricians currently recommend that all newborns born to a parent with positive GBS cultures remain in the hospital for 48 hours of observation after the birth.

It's worth noting that IV antibiotics during labor do not protect against Late Onset GBS Disease, which occurs after the first week of life but before three months of age. If you have any questions or concerns about GBS testing, be sure to talk to your healthcare provider.

If you’d like to investigate further, I suggest you read the following article regarding GBS by Evidence-Based Birth. https://evidencebasedbirth.com/groupbstrep/