by Nadiya Waterloo

Created on: January 26, 2009   Last Updated: October 24, 2011

My heart skipped a beat when I tested positive for Group B Streptococcus during my first pregnancy. The only information I had about Group B Streptococcus was from a few snippets I had read in one of my pregnancy books. Although my doctor answered all my questions and reassured me that it was something that we could manage, my fears were not easily calmed. I spent the next few weeks conducting an exhaustive search for more information.

During pregnancy there is a variety of routine tests that every woman will take. There are the tests that will take place during every visit to the doctor, such as checking your blood pressure and analyzing a urine sample for protein and sugar levels. Other tests will be conducted at specific times throughout the pregnancy, such as the test for Group B Streptococcus. Group B Streptococcus, also called Group B Strep or GBS, is a bacterium that can cause life-threatening infections in newborns, disease in pregnant women, the elderly and other adults with other illnesses. Fortunately Group B Streptococcus can be treated with antibiotics given through the vein (IV).

Unlike other types of bacteria, Group B Strep can be "colonized" in adults, meaning that they can carry the bacteria without becoming infected or becoming sick. The bacterium that causes Group B Strep can be found in the intestine, the vaginal or rectal areas. Roughly 25% of pregnant woman are colonized with Group B Strep and can unknowingly infect their newborn children during vaginal childbirth. Newborns infected with Group B Strep can suffer from speech, hearing, and vision problems as well as mental retardation and in 5% to 15% the infection is fatal. Unfortunately there is no vaccine for the prevention of Group B Strep, although the federal government is supporting research for the development of a vaccine.

In order to prevent infection during delivery, pregnant women are screened for Group B Streptococcus between the 35 37 weeks of gestation. The test is simple and painless. A sterile swap is used to collect samples of secretions from the vagina and rectum. A woman may test positive at certain times and not at others, and just because a woman has tested positive for Group B Strep in previous pregnancy does not mean that she will test positive in all her pregnancies. That is why it is important for all women to be tested for Group B Strep during the 35 37 weeks of each pregnancy.

For women who are Group B Strep carriers, they will be given antibiotics, usually penicillin

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