GBS: What’s the Deal and How Do You Get Rid of Group B Strep?

What is Group B Strep? 

Group B Streptococcus or GBS for short, is a bacteria that is often found in the digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts of the body. GBS comes and goes in our bodies, often without us knowing. Doctors aren’t even sure what causes Group B strep or how exactly it spreads. We just have it as part of our flora. Occasionally, if the bacteria balance is off you can develop a urinary tract infection, but with treatment it resolves.

Generally, Group B strep doesn’t cause any health problems in healthy adults. GBS is not a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and, while its name may sound similar, is also not “strep throat.” 

Why Does Group B Strep Matter in Pregnancy?

So why do healthcare providers care about GBS and test for it? Well as you wouldn’t really have a sign or symptom, it is possible that a pregnant woman could pass the bacteria to baby during labor and delivery.  About 1 in 4 pregnant women carries GBS bacteria in their body, often without them knowing. There are potential risks if a baby is exposed to GBS during delivery, as the bacteria can lead to some severe illnesses in newborns. 

While this can be very worrying as a pregnant mother, please know healthcare providers provide routine checks as well as antibiotic treatments to pregnant women and any babies who show signs and symptoms of GBS. With antibiotic treatments, Group B strep can be taken care of. 

What Does it Mean for Labor and Delivery? 

Part of your routine prenatal health care appointments is to check for GBS in your third trimester. Pregnant Mamas are tested usually from 35-37 weeks pregnant. 

Using a sterilized “Q tip” or swab, your healthcare provider will swab your vagina and rectal areas and then send it to a lab for testing. Thankfully this is one of the lesser invasive tests! You should know within 1-3 days if you have the bacteria. 

If you test positive for GBS, this simply means you had GBS bacteria on your body, not that you and baby will become sick with it. Rest assured, babies in utero are not affected if you have GBS. 

To ensure that baby doesn’t come in contact with the bacteria vaginally, during labor you will receive an IV drip of penicillin to combat the bacteria. If you are allergic to penicillin, doctors will give you another antibiotic. 

The best way to combat GBS is to have antibiotics given 4 hours before delivery, not sooner as the bacteria could colonize again. 

Sometimes you may need to receive IV therapy while laboring as well, read about it here. 

Unfortunately with an IV, this can disrupt some birthing possibilities, as an IV line with antibiotics typically means a hospital delivery. However, involve your healthcare provider in your birth plan to see what options may still be on the table for you. Many midwives are still able to provide you with antibiotics in a birth center or home birth. I know this can be hard to hear, but just remember that you did nothing wrong, and your goal to have baby healthy and safe, is possible. 

Just be aware that doctors also might give antibiotics during labor to a pregnant woman if she:

• goes into labor prematurely, before being tested for GBS
• hasn’t been tested for GBS and her water breaks 18 or more hours before delivery
• hasn’t been tested for GBS and has a fever during labor
• had a GBS bladder infection during the pregnancy
• had a baby before with GBS disease

If you have a scheduled C-section, typically you don’t need to worry about antibiotics, as baby will not pass through the vagina or near the rectal area. 

This video sums this section up pretty well:

How Does Group B Strep Affect Babies?  

Despite GBS not affecting you personally, having it be a possibility to pass on to a baby is what makes testing so important. The great news is that not all babies who are exposed to GBS may get it. If there is any suspicion that the baby has been exposed, they will be tested and given antibiotics. 

The more serious Group B strep infections for babies are split in two: 

1. Early-onset Infections: These infections happen during the first week of life. Some babies even have symptoms within 24 hours of birth. 
2. Late-onset Infections: These infections develop a few weeks or months after birth. 

Premature babies are at a higher risk of developing GBS because their immune systems have not fully developed. 

Signs and Symptoms of GBS in Babies

If for whatever reason you wonder if your baby could be exposed, these are possible signs and symptoms of a Group Strep B Infection: 

• a fever
• feeding problems
• breathing problems
• irritability or fussiness
• inactivity or limpness
• trouble keeping a healthy body temperature

Babies can go on to develop pneumonia, sepsis, or meningitis (inflammation and infection of the fluid surrounding the brain) from Group B Strep. Usually occurring with late onset infections, if severe enough it can also lead to hearing loss, vision loss, seizures and in rare cases, death.  Thankfully there is only a small percentage of babies who get GBS infections, and thanks to modern medicine, they can receive treatment. 

How to Prevent Group B Strep? 

This is probably the biggest question that you have: how do you get rid of Group B strep? Unfortunately, as Group B strep is a naturally occurring bacteria, we can’t simply get rid of it. It is also difficult if there aren’t signs and symptoms that alert us. 

The best option is to test for GBS in your third trimester, so that you can be prepared during the labor and delivery process. 

 Another possibility I have found, is to take a probiotic throughout your pregnancy. Group B strep is often associated with our digestive tracts. The idea of the probiotic would be to boost other naturally occurring flora, to outweigh GBS. Along with a probiotic, it is also important to eat a well balanced diet with fruits and vegetables. (If you’re needing help with meal planning while pregnant, check out our best cookbooks for pregnancy article here.)

You would need to check with your healthcare provider beforehand to see if taking a probiotic is a possibility and what kind of probiotic to take. Keep in mind that the desired and intended result may or may not happen, but it could be worth a shot as probiotics also have many positive health benefits. 

Final Thoughts

Group Strep B is a normally occurring bacteria found in our bodies. It will come and go often without us knowing we have it. Understanding what it is, takes away the ambiguity of GBS and can help you take precautions with baby and delivery. Just because you may test positive, doesn’t mean you or baby will be sick. You will be able to have a great delivery and you and baby will navigate this time together!  

If you have any further questions on GBS check out these resources: 

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, The CDC, March of Dime