Help - How/where to get tested privately for Group B Strep?

[Mimosa1]

Hi all,
I'm hoping some of the wise women of MN can help me. My NHS trust does not routinely test for group B strep. I'm a FTM and 30+5 and probably doing too much googling but it seems like a really good thing to do, and I'd like to go ahead and have the test done privately. I wonder if anyone can recommend somewhere they've had it done?
Many thanks,
Mim

I should add I'm based in London. Thanks!!

If you google The Doctor's Labratory they do a test, the standard of which is recommended by a GBS charity. They post it out to you and you send it back xxx

Gbss.org.uk lists the labs that offer it privately. I've used The Doctors' Lab several times and been v happy with the service.

Thanks so much, both!

No trust routinely tests for it but if you ask your midwife she should do it for you. It's very quick and easy to do.

Thanks, I have my 31 week appointment next week so will ask her.

I asked my GP for a test for various anxiety reasons which was fine.

but do your research before having the test... it can be transient which means you test positive one day and negative the next. some hospitals have very strict protocols which mean you are restricted to the labour ward if you've ever tested positive (even in a previous pregnancy).

despite all this, I went ahead with the test. but there is a reason the NHS don't test for it - because the results don't tell you much. my midwife said its a far better plan to keep a close eye on your newborn.

Thanks, Teenage. I will discuss with the midwife, but being a bit of an anxious FTM, pretty sure I'll end up testing anyway...
Really appreciate all the help from this thread! Cheers.

I eventually had a urine test for GBS via midwife at 34 weeks, because I want to avoid the high risk labour ward if I can. I tested positive over ten years ago, not in pregnancy, and was alarmed at being pushed into continuous monitoring, iv drip etc - given gbs comes and goes. I had to push for it though.

I've now tested negative so I think they will check me out when I get to hospital and then if all ok let me be low risk.

As others have said, it varies hospital by hospital. Check out your hospital's policies on testing, and what happens if you do test positive. And don't test too early! And if it's difficult to get the info, you could try contacting a supervisory midwife. I did after four different midwives gave me four different ideas of what would happen if I did test positive

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

I've tested positive in 2 pregnancies but didn't need continual monitoring etc.

Ds1 did have GBS and so had the antibiotics after birth. Ds2 then had them as a precaution.

Oh, and I had iv antibiotics in labour in both cases.

Thanks all! Lots of really good info here

Hope you get sorted

Hi there! If you go to your doctor and have a vaginal swab (eg for thrush) or a urine culture (this is only if you have a UTI), group B strep is normally picked up on these. This may not sound very ethical but, you could go to your GP and complain of thrush like symptoms and ask him to take a swab for culture, then if you have group B strep, this will be picked up on that swab. Just a thought for saving you some money on going private. (I work in a microbiology lab in the NHS so I know that we do look for group B strep in pregnant ladies!) Hope you get sorted :)