If you had strep B in first pregnancy do they still treat you for it in 2nd pregnancy?

[DiscoSue]

I’m currently ttc baby no.2 and just wondering as with DS I found out I had strep B when they took a vaginal swab. My waters broke 4 weeks early so I was taken in and put on antibiotics etc.

I was told with Strep B you can test positive for it one day and negative another so I’m just wondering if they’d treat my 2nd pregnancy the same without testing me again for it?

tia

It might be worth checking your hospital but at mine, once you are positive you are always treated as positive.

Most trusts will treat you as though you've got it again with the second pregnancy- just let your midwife know!

Thank you! I’m thinking very far ahead as I’m not yet pregnant but hoping it won’t be long before I am. I’m starting to get flashbacks from my first pregnancy and i feel like I’ve got a million and one questions about a second!

In my trust, if your first baby didn't actually get infected by GBS, then we wouldn't treat you as positive this time round, because as you say, it comes and goes. It's only if it came up again in a UTI or vaginal swab that we would bring it up again. But of course, speak to your midwife and she can let you know the local policy. And feel free to do your own research and make a choice based on that as well. The antibiotics are not compulsory!

I was pondering this some more and just found it in the NICE guidelines:

1.1.1.6
If the woman had group B streptococcal colonisation in a previous pregnancy but without infection in the baby, reassure her that this will not affect the management of the birth in the current pregnancy

So any trust not following the same policy as mine needs to buck up its ideas hope that gives you some comfort thinking about a future pregnancy