Anyone been or intending to be tested privately for Group B Strep?

[minipie]

So, I understand that this is something about 25% of women have in their vagina, about 2000 babies a year catch it from their mother during birth, and about 200 of those will die from it.

The NHS only tests women who are "high risk" which includes those who've had it before and those whose waters break many hours before delivery.

I am tempted to get tested privately (it's not very expensive I believe).

However I have read that the tests are not all that useful, as you can test negative but then become positive by the time you give birth. Or you can test positive but then become negative, in which case you will be categorised as a "high risk birth" and have to have IV antibiotics for no reason.

Anyone else considered this and what have you decided?

Thanks

I decided to get tested as it is something I'm worried about, midwife said it was a good idea if it would put my mind at rest, they routinly test in europe, midwife said the reason they dont test here is because the nhs tests are crap and the private ones are more reliable. She said it would be good for all women to have it and she thinks the nhs will bring it in eventually. I know that is just her opinion, but after reading the staistics on gbss website I wanted to get tested. It has cost me £35 which I think is worth it, you just send the swabs off and get the results in 3 days, mine are due tomorrow, you need to test between 35 and 37 weeks to get an accurate result, I'm 36 weeks I think that is near enough to birth thats its unlikely to change as you say above about negative becoming positive. I'm not sure what the hospital will do if its positive, if they will accept that or do there own test at time of labour to confirm if antibiotics were needed.

I did, via an internet website which sent you swabs to return. I can't link as I can't remember the name of it - about £35 if I remember correctly.

I did test + with dc3, and the hospital gave me antibiotics during labour. The labour was really quick and ds's waters were in tact until the last minute, so there was minimal risk in the end. They also kept us in to monitor ds temp for signs of infection for 24 hrs.

There are difficulties in the accuracy of the test, as OP mentions, and tbh i have no idea whether I "needed" the antibiotics or not.

www.gbss.org.uk The chances of a problem may not be high but the outcome in some infected babies is life changing, it is costing the government vast amounts of money to help care for affected children, it would cost them pence to give every pregnant mum a reliable test at 35-37 weeks of pregnancy.

I did this in both my pregnancies, I felt it was worth the cost, and I believe the tests are fairly reliable. It was very easy to do and the results came back quickly.

Thanks all. Pretty universal then!

It's not really the cost that puts me off, it's more the chance that I might test positive and have to have extra monitoring/precautions (which would mean I couldn't use the midwife centre etc) possibly for no reason if I was negative by the time of birth. Though as you say flower if you test at the right time a change is unlikely I suppose, and of course if I had a positive result I would take the precautions.

I'll speak to my GP about it at my 32 week appt, I think they offer it privately (for a fee of course)

If you click on the link www.gbss.org.uk they will send you one free of charge to test yourself and send off at the right time.

Regarding IV antiboitics ... for me, all this involved was a canular in my hand (sp?) and being given antibiotics every 3 hours (was only once in my case as fast labour).

Wasn't on a drip or anything, was able to move around etc though no idea whether I would have been able to use MLU or not.

I'm not in the UK but Strep B was given to me as a standard test - took it at 37 weeks if thats any help.

I didn't know you could get tested private. if i did i would of done. i had group a and b strep discovered when i became ill 3 days after my dd was born. i ended up being re admitted for 7 days. they couldn't get my temp down. my ddi was given iv antibiotic just to be safe. i wish we had known to prevent us being so ill 3- i was told it was the strep a that made me so ill but the test would of indicated i had strep b.

I had a private test for group b strep - decided I couldn't cope if dd had got group b strep and I thought there might be something I could have done to prevent it if thwt makes sense. Very glad I did, I was positive, had iv antibiotics but still developed group b strep septicaemia and I was very unwell. However, despite that, dd was unaffected, negative septic screen, and I'm not sure tht would have been the case without knowing and having the antibiotics.

I decided to get tested with ds1. I was positive. They treated me as being positive again for ds2 as this is policy in my area. Antibiotics were fine. Hospital forgot to monitor both boys for the 24 hours after birth! For me, some possibly unnecessary anibiotics were better than having a very poorly baby. The only consequence to me was that in my hospital I was not allowed to have a water birth with a canular in my arm. Good luck!

So has anyone been tested and got a negative result? Sounds like all the replies so far have been positive !

I was negative both times.

I didn't test in my first pregnancy as I was not aware of it in the slightest, which was amazing considering I read all the books and mags I could find. I also went to NHS antenatal classes as well as NCT ones and it was never mentioned. In fairness this was 10 years ago and awareness has increased a lot now.
My son was born healthy but developed late onset GBS meningitis at just 12 days old. He was very ill and ended up in Great Ormond Street ICU for a while. We were lucky he survived, he is 10 now but has had long lasting effects from the bad start in life. He is still under GOSH care now, for the sake of a £35 test the NHS would have saved themselves a lifetime of medical bills from my ds! When I had my twins a few years later I was automatically given antibiotics and didn't need to test. It did not impede on a wonderful delivery, however with a twin pregnancy I was never going to have a non doctor led birth! My girls were born fine with no medical issues at all.

What I am trying to say is, please test and if it is positive, you can still have a lovely birth, you will just need to change your mind set slightly.

Good luck with it all x

I did it and it came back negative. money well spent IMO

Thanks all, glad that there are some negative peeps out there. Sticking so sorry to hear of the effects on your DS. I will definitely be testing and will be following the advice if it is positive.

I tested + in both my pregnancies (tested due to bleeding during late preg) and received antibiotics in labour. However this pregnancy I've been told that I won't be tested and even if I was + they wouldn't treat unless there was an extra risk (waters broken early etc) because I've been treated before.

Are you sure about those numbers, 200 a year who die from it?
This puts the number more like 70-140.
Still very sad, obviously, but need to put risk in context.

We know a baby who was very very ill with it; his mother met 2 risk factors (relatively early labour & waters broken long before birth).

I was privately tested at 34 wks, came back negative. But if had been +, I was only going to pursue it if I met other risk factors. My problem is that my labours, by the time it's clear they're established, are quite quick, so not enough time for full dose of IV antiBs. Would have had to lark about trying to get oral antiBs & other options. Plus I'm freaked-out needle phobic.

no I'm not sure. I think I read it on the group b strep support website?

Thanks minipie

lljkk I had no risk factors present, my son was born at 40 weeks only 6 hours after my waters broke and I never had a temperature. I am not trying to scare you as I am also aware of just how unlucky we were because it is rare to infect the baby, however if anyone tests positive they would feel awful if they didn't have the antibiotics and something did happen. I am very pleased you tested negative however as that is one less worry for you

I wouldn't like to be one of the parents of the only 70-140 babies who die from it or one of the thousands of parents who have mentally handicapped children because of it, the test needs to be done between 35 and 37 weeks, if you go into labour early or have an EMCS as my daughter did the baby is given IV antibiotics, not nice but the other even very slight risk of death or damage doesn't bear thinking about, I would have taken a lot worse than a needle if it protected my children, sorry about the rant but I know a 3 year old with brain damage due to Strep B ,he is one of the unlucky ones who will never lead an independent life because his mum was not made aware of the problems of Strep B so therefore didn't know a test was available, hers was a perfect, straightforward pregnancy, labour and birth, her baby became ill afterwards.

My DS also had group b strep after birth, I didn't have any risk factors either, my waters did break early but not long enough before birth to be considered a risk, and he was an EMCS too so didn't catch it from the birth process.

They caught it 3 days post birth as they tested the placenta, then did a blood test on him to check. About an hour before we'd been due to be discharged they suddenly bombed in, whisked him away for a lumbar puncture, blood tests and lung x-rays. He was then dosed up with really strong antibiotics twice a day for 5 days so we were in hospital for a week. It was awful and very worrying although thankfully they caught it early enough that it didn't develop into meningitis, septicaemia or pneumonia, which is usual.

If I knew I was positive, there would be no bloody way I would refuse antibiotics in labour and risk that happening again. As it is, I've opted for an ELCS next time to avoid the worry.

I know I'm risking turning this into a "birth is so medicalised in the US" thread, but this is absolutely standard in the US. I don't know about any other countries.

I had my DD in London privately, and I knew to ask about it because I'm American and I know it's something we do. My consultant said it's standard in the UK as well, if you go private, so he would have ordered it anyway. (I was negative and ended up with an ELCS, so turned out to be irrelevant.)

Yes, I did it twice. The second time I was going to have a c-section and did think not to have it - decided to anyway and tested positive - which was good, because DS came unexpectedly and the docs were able to give me an antibio during labour. He was forceps in the end. So I do really recommend it.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. I'm so sorry to hear about the effects to your babies Sticking and Noble. Based on this thread I've ordered a test and am very grateful re timing of reading this as I am currently 34.5 weeks!