Between 10% and 30% of pregnant women are carriers of group B strep bacteria (GBS), which is housed in the vagina or rectal area, and can be transmitted to your babies during labor. However, if adequate prenatal tests and the correct treatment during childbirth are performed, the risk of infection is lower
Group B strep bacteria are usually harmless in healthy adults. However, it can cause a rare but serious infection in newborns. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that pregnant women undergo GBS tests between weeks 35 and 37.
The analysis is delayed until now because the GBS bacteria can appear and disappear, and it is necessary to know if there is a probability that it is present in your genital area during delivery.
Not all gynecologists perform the analysis routinely, so we must consult our specialist about their custom and the need to do this test.
To perform this routine test, similar to a cytology, the gynecologist will take samples of cells from the bottom of the vagina and rectum and send them to a laboratory to grow in a culture that will identify if the GBS bacteria is present. The results are available in two or three days.
If the result is positive, we should not worry, because even if we were not treated, the chances of the baby becoming infected would be approximately 1 or 2 in 200.
However, intravenous antibiotic treatment during labor reduces these chances of strep baby infection about 1 in 4,000, so it is worth not taking a risk, since the infection could cause pneumonia, sepsis (blood infection) or meningitis (infection of the membranes that cover the brain). If streptococci are detected in the urine, oral antibiotics are usually prescribed in the last weeks of pregnancy.
