Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

**sign this petition to get strep B test made routine in the NHS**

70 replies

fairylights · 17/01/2008 21:05

this is a petition on the downing st website asking for the test for group B strep to be a routine test for all pregnant mums..
i am no expert on this but it sounds like a good idea to me!
petitions.pm.gov.uk/groupbstrep/

OP posts:
bracingair · 17/01/2008 21:09

done it.

when i asked a consultant at uclh why it was not routine, he said they had the facilities to deal the problems

mammyjo · 17/01/2008 21:13

Thanks for the link to this. I have signed it and it is an issue close to me as my ds was infected at birth, and spent 11 days in special care. Thankfully he made a full recovery. Made me very nervous when having dd though. Luckily she was completely fine

Original poster
fairylights · 17/01/2008 21:14

bump

OP posts:
mammyjo · 17/01/2008 21:15

Bracingair, that is a very scary attitude from the doctor isn't it

bracingair · 17/01/2008 21:23

very scary.

thanks for the link. did you initiate it?

Theresa · 17/01/2008 21:24

I shall sign as well. After my second dc (now 6) i had to go back into hospital with a few internal probs (cant really remember now!) and at the time the nirse was telling me i had something and i didnt really understand what she was talking about but she said it wld be a prob if i had any more children and they'd have to be ready with an injectionof some sort for the baby (i think!) as we knew we wernt having any more i switched off.then i heard later about a baby dying from this and realised that was what i must have so quite scary and so easy to test for apparantly.

Lomond · 17/01/2008 21:28

I have also signed.

Theresa · 18/01/2008 20:25

bump

mammyjo · 20/01/2008 10:12

bump

lilybubble · 20/01/2008 10:21

Just went to do this as I was diagnosed with it a couple of weeks before giving birth. Both dd and I were fine luckily. I did seem to have the test done routinely, so am a bit confused....

But the deadline to sign up was yesterday, and they aren't accepting any more names now!

nappyaddict · 04/04/2008 20:27

there' also a facebook group so please all join this

Lulumama · 04/04/2008 20:29

if the test you are campaigning for is the routine HVS swab, it is not as accurate as the enriched culture (IIRC) test that is available privately. and it is too expensive to be offered routinely on the NHS

that is why the NHS do not test all women

nappyaddict · 04/04/2008 20:30

not accurate in what sense. does it give false positives?

maxbear · 04/04/2008 20:30

Can I just say that in the USA and Australia they do routinely test for it and their perinatal mortality rates from it are no better than here. There is no evidence from studies that routine testing actually helps in the grand scheme of things.

nappyaddict · 04/04/2008 20:31

which test do they use though?

maxbear · 04/04/2008 20:32

Nope not false positives, false negatives. About 50% of women who have it (iirc) test negative which can give a false sense of security which is probably more dangerous than not knowing at all.

Lulumama · 04/04/2008 20:32

i see maxbear has answered the question

maxbear · 04/04/2008 20:33

Am not certain but I think that in the USA at least they use the enriched culture medium test which is more accurate.

nappyaddict · 04/04/2008 20:33

surely it is better to test everyone so you can monitor those that test positive though. 75 babies die of it each year and although it doesn't seem like a lot imagine if that was your baby and knowing that if you'd been offered a test your baby could have been saved.

nappyaddict · 04/04/2008 20:34

and if other countries can offer it i don't see why ours shouldn't. seems a bit unfair.

Lulumama · 04/04/2008 20:35

but if a lot of women get false negatives, especially from a HVS swab, then who is to say the right women and their babies will be monitored?

nappyaddict · 04/04/2008 20:36

but at least the ones who test positive would be.

Lulumama · 04/04/2008 20:36

but nappyaddict, testing every women routinely is an expense the NHS not bear ... you can have the test privatley, around #35 IIRC

Lulumama · 04/04/2008 20:37

it is too much of a scattergun appraoch to be financially viable

it is sad that this is the situation, but it is the grim reality of a cash strapped NHS

nappyaddict · 04/04/2008 20:37

but we pay taxes so we get free healthcare. why should people have to pay for the test? and what about those who really can't afford to pay for it. as i said it just seems unfair.