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Original poster

ALL PREGNANT WOMEN PLEASE LOOK HERE!!!!!!!! ----------------------------------FREE GROUP B STREP TESTS!!!!

10 replies

Hilllary · 16/04/2007 20:50

I have just found a website which is giving away free GBS test kits to take to your midwife for a swab!! Please Please Please take a look.

\link{http://www.mumstuff.co.uk/acatalog/MumStuff_Essentials_8.html\FREE Group B Strep Tests!!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Hilllary · 16/04/2007 20:51

FREE Group B Strep Tests

OP posts:
percypig · 16/04/2007 20:53

I looked at this, but it seems the lab fees for actually testing the sample are £32 - so not really free

MerlinsBeard · 16/04/2007 20:54

its not free, its £32. its the swabs that are free, you pay for the lab to process it which i am assuming you would do if you paid privatley anyway

Original poster
Hilllary · 16/04/2007 20:54

Ah yes I've just seen that but at least its available!!

OP posts:
liquidclocks · 16/04/2007 20:54

Still worth doing if you can afford it, so sad that the NHS still don't do these as standard - we lost a baby here because of it recently.

Original poster
Hilllary · 16/04/2007 20:58

So so sorry to hear that liquidclocks I nearly lost my dd to it too, I really dont know why they dont test every woman for it.

At least there is a kit available, expensive for some I admit but such a small price to pay for a life

OP posts:
liquidclocks · 16/04/2007 21:29

Not my child Hillary, but a friend of my good friend IYSWIM. Local hospital now very aware and as I'm +ve kept me and DS2 in for extra monitoring after his birth. So when a baby's death is preventable though.

Pleased your DD is ok.

Guitargirl · 16/04/2007 21:55

Very sorry to hear about your baby liquidclocks.

I requested a test for Group B strep from my (NHS) GP when I was pregnant after reading about the possible effects. They told me it wasn't standard but also said that as I had asked they couldn't really say no (the result was negative).

I know that in some of the ads for private Group B strep tests they state that the test that is conducted under the NHS is not carried out 'properly'. But they don't say in which way. I asked my Mum about it who's a microbiologist and she said the way of testing for both NHS and private is identical. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who's heard differently?

Guitargirl · 16/04/2007 21:57

Sorry, just read your last post liquidclocks re your friend's baby .

Candyland · 19/04/2007 14:02

Hi. Just spoken with the people at Group B Strep Support (see www.gbss.org.uk ). They tell me that the standard NHS swab is usually just a high vaginal swab (the more accurate test takes swabs from both the low vagina and the rectum). Also the standard NHS test only grows the swabs using standard plating techniques, whereas the more sensitive test - which apparently was designed specifically for the purpose of detecting GBS carriage so it should be pretty good! - uses an enriched culture medium which means it's easier for the GBS to be detected. Which is also why it's so much more accurate than the NHS test. They also tell me that this method is recommended by the Health Protection Agency as being the best method to use to detect GBS carriage ... so quite why the NHS insists on using a lesser test is beyond me!

Hope that helps.

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