Group B streptococcus (GBS)

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. This bacteria is normally found in the vagina and/or lower intestine of 15% to 40% of all healthy, adult women.

Those women who test positive for GBS are said to be colonized. A mother can pass GBS to her baby during delivery. GBS is responsible for affecting about 1 in every 2,000 babies in the United States. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill.

Although GBS is rare in pregnant women, the outcome can be severe, and therefore physicians include testing as a routine part of prenatal care.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended routine screening for vaginal strep B for all pregnant women. This screening is performed between the 35th and 37th week of pregnancy (anytime other than this time will not be significant to show if a woman is carrying GBS during the time of her delivery).

The test involves a swab of both the vagina and the rectum. The sample is then taken to a lab where a culture is analyzed for any presence of GBS. Test results are usually available within 24 to 48 hours.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all women who have risk factors PRIOR to being screened for GBS (for example, women who have preterm labor beginning prior to 37 completed weeks' gestation) are treated with IV antibiotics until their GBS status is established.

The bacteria that causes group B strep normally lives in the intestine, vagina, or rectal areas. Group B strep colonization is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Approximately 15-40% of all healthy women carry group B strep bacteria. For most women there are no symptoms of carrying the GBS bacteria.

If you test positive for GBS this simply means that you are a carrier. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill. Approximately one of every 100 to 200 babies whose mothers carry GBS will develop signs and symptoms of GBS disease. There are, however, symptoms that may indicate that you are at a higher risk of delivering a baby with GBS. These symptoms include:

In this case your physician will want to use antibiotics for prevention and protection.

According to the CDC, if you have tested positive and are not in the high risk category, then your chances of delivering a baby with GBS are:

If you test positive for GBS and meet the high risk criteria, then your physician will recommend giving you antibiotics through IV during your delivery to prevent your baby from becoming ill. Taking antibiotics greatly decreases the chances of your baby becoming ill.

For women who are group B strep carriers, antibiotics before labor starts are not a good way to get rid of group B strep bacteria. Since they naturally live in the gastrointestinal tract (guts), the bacteria can come back after antibiotics. A woman may test positive at certain times and not at others. That’s why it is important for all pregnant women to be tested for group B strep between 35 to 37 weeks of every pregnancy.

If you are at a low risk, the decision to use antibiotics is up to you. There are herbal remedies that you can take 2-3 weeks before delivery that a midwife or homeopathic physician can recommend.

Newborns with early-onset are treated the same as the mothers, which is through intravenous antibiotics.

Late-onset of GBS could be a result of delivery, or the baby may have contracted it by coming into contact with someone who has GBS.

How serious is GBS? GBS can cause bladder infections and womb infections for the mother. In some cases GBS can cause stillbirth. Newborns can get meningitis, sepsis, and pneumonia.

If I test positive for GBS does that mean my baby is going to get it also? No. Approximately 1 of every 100-200 babies who are born to mothers who carry GBS will become ill.

What percentage of babies born to mothers with GBS will actually become ill? Approximately 1 of every 100-200 babies born to mothers with GBS will become ill. However, there are certain symptoms that put a mother at a higher risk than others.

What can I do to prevent my baby from getting GBS disease? Intravenous antibiotics (antibiotics given through IV) are recommended during delivery to reduce the chance of your baby becoming sick.

Do I have to take antibiotics, or is there a natural alternative? It is your choice if you want to take antibiotics. There are certain herbal methods that you can take 2-3 weeks before delivery that a midwife or homeopathic physician can provide for you.

Can a woman who tests positive take oral antibiotics before delivery? Treating the mother with oral antibiotics during the pregnancy may decrease the amount of GBS for a short time, but it will not eliminate the bacteria completely and will leave the baby unprotected at birth. Also, waiting to treat the baby with antibiotics after birth is often too late to prevent illness.

Are antibiotics safe for the baby? Penicillin (Category B) is commonly used during pregnancy in non-allergic patients. There are substitute drugs for those who are allergic to penicillin, but they could still experience an allergic reaction. It is best to discuss the pros and cons with your health care provider.

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a bacteria found in the lower intestinal tract and vagina. More than one in four women carry it though show no symptoms. It can be deadly to newborns, but antibiotics are usually reserved for pregnancies with a high risk of transmission. However, even with low risk, you may employ alternative therapy such as herbal treatment.

Immune System Boosters

This method is slower, may take two to three weeks before signs of improvement and should be applied daily. There are several herbs that can enhance your immune system.

Astragalus is one of the most common immune system tonics. This herb helps prevent infections and tonify the blood. It is commonly used with ganoderma, which increases the white blood cell count.

Some herbs focus on specific parts of the body to indirectly boost the immune system. Goldenseal root, for example, enhances the spleen's activity and increases its blood supply. It is commonly used alongside echinacea, which enhances the lymphatic system.

Probiotic supplements are another effective immune booster. In an age where antibiotics are prevalent and indiscriminately destroy both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria (probiotics), our bodies sometimes wind up with a probiotic deficiency. You can find the most well-known probiotic, L. acidophilus, in yogurt. It also occurs naturally in the mouth, GI tract and vagina, where it fights pathogens. Some people choose to treat GBS by topically applying yogurt in the vagina and surrounding area.

Antibacterial Herbs

GBS lives in the lower intestine and is very difficult to fully eliminate. However, it can be much more easily killed when it ventures into other areas of the body, such as the rectum and vagina. Since transmission involves direct contact, sterilizing the vaginal canal can greatly reduce the risk a newborn will contract the bacteria.

The most popular antibacterial herb is garlic, and the ways you can use it are numerous. Eaten raw, topical applications and elixirs are all popular methods, though you can experiment to see which is right for you. You should always use fresh garlic, and simply adding it to your food will provide its antibacterial properties.

A simple elixir involves a fresh garlic bulb, ground to pulp with honey and apple cider vinegar, each adjusted to your taste. You can also eat raw garlic, followed by a glass of orange juice or other drink rich in vitamin C to help activate its properties. Inserting a bruised garlic lobe into the vagina at bedtime fights GBS on contact.

Tinctures are also a popular remedy. Blends of echinacea, nettle, Oregon grape root and peppermint, mixed by a homeopathic physician, can be quite effective in combating GBS directly.

The following are some herbal remedies suggested to prevent GBS.

PB-8 acidophilus. You should take 4 caps daily. Follow instructions on bottle as to when it is best to take acidophilus. This will help to keep up your good bacteria which can fight away the bad.

Immune Booster Tincture (includes Echinacea root, Echinacea purpuria, peppermint, and nettles). This will help to boost yours and baby's immune system. You need to take 20 drops, twice daily for 10 days, come off for 2 days, then back on again. Keep this up until delivery.

Oregon Grape Root Tincture. This tincture is made specifically to kill strep and staph bacteria. The suggested dose is 6 drops daily throughout pregnancy.

Boost your vitamin C by eating one each of Kiwi fruit, orange, red pepper, or grapefruit daily.

Insert 2 raw garlic cloves (you must bruise them just prior to inserting them) into the vaginal vault every other night prior to bedtime until delivery.

Eat 3 to 4 raw cloves of garlic daily. The best way to do this is to crush or press the garlic with a press, place it in a glass, let it sit for about 10 minutes (to allow the antibiotic properties of the garlic to activate), add just enough water to drink the clove down and then chase with 6 or more ounces of 100 percent orange juice (need vitamin C to activate garlic best as well).

Colloidal Silver is one of the most powerful natural antibiotics and has been suggested by natural health practitioners to prevent GBS. It comes in liquid form and the suggested dose is 1 Tablespoon, 3xs daily, between meals.

Purchase some organic or natural tampons, organic olive oil and natural tea tree oil. Twice a day, pour some olive oil in a cup and some tea tree oil in a separate cup, soak a tampon in the Olive oil for 3 minutes or until saturated and then soak it in the tea tree oil. Then insert the tampon vaginally and leave it for 30 minutes. You should also do the same soaking process with a cotton swab and insert it rectally for the same 30 minutes. Obviously you can’t get up and run around and do housework during this process so take a nap or read your baby a book for 30 minutes.

Chlorhexidinedouche (Hibiclens). To use this option, at the beginning of labor you would use a hot water or enema bottle partially full of distilled water and 140ml of chlorhexidine. You would perform a vaginal douche using this entire solution. Every six hours during labor you would make a new solution and perform a vaginal douche. You would keep doing this until the birth. Another option is to place the 140 ml of chlorhexidine into a peri-wash bottle and spray it onto the vaginal/rectal area every six hours – this option should be used if your bag of membranes has ruptured.

Group B streptococcus (GBS)

Dawn the Doula • 651-428-7088 • St. Paul, MN and surrounding areas • Copyright Dawn the Doula 2011