Group B Streptococcus (GBS): Frequently asked questions
How is the diagnosis made?
Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a bacterium that lives in the body and causes no harm to you; it can cause a serious infection in a baby around the time of birth. GBS is carried in the vagina or rectum of up to 40% of women. It can be found on a vaginal or rectal swab or a urine test. In the UK there is no current screening programme for the carriage of GBS.
What does this mean?
For me:
If you are found to carry GBS in your current pregnancy you will be recommended to receive intravenous antibiotics during labour, to minimise the chance of your baby developing a GBS infection.If GBS is found in your urine during pregnancy, you should receive antibiotic treatment.
For my baby:
Most babies that come into contact with GBS during birth are well and do not develop GBS infection. If a baby does show signs of GBS infection, with prompt treatment most babies will recover completely. Rarely, GBS infection can be the cause of a neonatal death or longer term disability.
What will the medical team recommend?
Intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) for you during labour. If there are any concerns about your baby after birth, the neonatal team may recommend they receive antibiotics as well.
What are the ‘red flag’ symptoms/concerns, which mean that they should be reported immediately?
If you are known to carry GBS, you should inform your maternity unit straight away when your waters break, or if you are having regular labour pains.
Timing of birth
If your pregnancy progresses to term (after 37+0 weeks) IAP should be commenced as soon as labour starts or when your waters break, if they do so before labour.If your waters break before labour, induction of labour will be recommended to reduce the time your baby is exposed to the GBS bacteria.
How may this impact my birth choices?
IAP is not available at home, or in some midwifery led units, so if you agree with the recommendation to receive IAP you may need to plan labour and birth in an obstetric unit.
How may this affect care after the birth?
Depending on how long your receive IAP for before your baby is born, your baby may need some additional observation in hospital before you are able to go home.
What will this mean for future pregnancies? How can I reduce my risk of this happening again?
In a future pregnancy you will be offered IAP again in labour, or testing for GBS carriage 3-5 weeks before birth is expected.
Where can I find out more information about this condition?
Altough rare, listeriosis infection in pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in newborn babies. Listeria can be found in unpasteurised milk and in many chilled foods including pâté.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that is harmless to most healthy adults and children, but can be dangerous if a pregnant woman passes it to her unborn baby (congenital CMV). It is spread via bodily fluids and research has shown that the most common way a pregnant women catches CMV is from a toddler or young child, therefore women working or in regular contact with young children have a higher chance of developing the virus.Simple hygiene methods are believed to reduce the risk of catching CMV and recommendations include not sharing dummies or food utensils with young children as well as regular handwashing. If you are concerned that you may have come into contact with CMV whilst pregnant, please speak to your midwife or doctor. Follow the links for more information.
GBS is a common bacterium carried in the vagina and rectum of 2-4 in every 10 women. Carrying GBS is not harmful to you, and causes no symptoms. GBS occasionally causes serious infection in newborn babies, and very rarely, during pregnancy and before labour. GBS can be detected by urine or vaginal/rectal swab tests. The NHS does not routinely offer all pregnant women GBS testing. However, if it is detected during your current or previous pregnancy or if you have had a baby who developed GBS infection in the past, you will be offered intravenous antibiotics in labour to reduce the risk of infection in your newborn baby.
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caught by direct contact with cat faeces (poo), contaminated soil or contaminated meat. Most people don’t realise they have it but it can cause flu like symptoms and it can harm your unborn baby. Pregnant women are advised to wear gloves when gardening or handling cat litter and to thoroughly wash fruit and vegetables to remove all traces of soil. We don’t test for toxoplasmosis routinely as it is very rare.
STIs such as chlamydia, herpes and gonorrhoea are becoming increasingly common and when left untreated in pregnancy can be dangerous to your baby. If you are concerned that you or your partner may have been exposed to STIs please attend your local sexual health service clinic for full sexual health screening.
Parvovirus is very infectious and usually affects children. The main symptom is a red blotchy rash on the face. It can also be accompanied by mild fever, headache and sore throat. If you contract parvovirus in pregnancy it can be harmful to your baby. Please speak to your GP or midwife if you think you may have been in contact with parvovirus.
Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus. Chickenpox is highly infectious and can be dangerous to your baby. If you had chickenpox as a child, it is likely that you are immune; you do not need to worry.If you are unsure whether you have had chickenpox before, you may be offered a blood test to confirm your immunity. If you think you may have come into contact with someone with chickenpox and you know that you are not immune, please phone your GP or midwife for advice. Do not attend the maternity unit for advice unless advised to by your midwife/doctor.
