Can Pregnant Women Be Checked for GBS Colonization?

Our practice will do a vaginal culture for the presence of GBS bacteria on all pregnant women between 35-37 weeks gestation. Knowing your culture result before you go into labor can help protect your baby’s life. The test involves collecting a swab or swabs from the lower vaginal and rectum and culturing the sample. What does a positive GBS result mean for me and my baby? A positive result means that the mother is colonized with GBS. It does not mean that she has Group B Strep disease or that her baby will become ill. Rather, a positive test means that we need to plan for your labor and delivery with this test result in mind. The results of GBS cultures should be available at delivery. If they are not available, you should not hesitate to tell a doctor or nurse your results as soon as you arrive at Labor and Delivery. How can GBS disease in newborns and mothers be prevented? Giving antibiotics (such as Penicillin) through a vein during labor and delivery to women who have a positive ...  more

The Group B Strep Association advocates that every pregnant woman be screened for GBS. The medical community recommends routine screening for GBS at 35-37 weeks of pregnancy. One third, or 1,200,000 pregnant women carry GBS bacteria. Knowing your culture result before you go into labor can help protect your baby's life. The test should be performed late in pregnancy, around 35 to 37 weeks of gestation. The test involves collecting a swab or swabs from the lower vagina and rectum and culturing the sample on a special medium (LIM or selective broth medium). The test result is usually ready in 2 or 3 days; it usually costs between $15 and $35. This culture (LIM or selective broth) is considered the "Gold Standard" - it is the best GBS screening available. Unfortunately, it is not perfect and may miss a small number of women (approximately 5%) who carry GBS. Fortunately, it is accurate in detecting colonization and will not give a false positive result. Rapid screen tests are not as good ...  more

The GBS Association advocates that every pregnant woman be screened for GBS. One third, or 1,200,000 pregnant women carry GBS Bacteria. Knowing your culture result before you go into labor can help protect your baby's life. The test should be performed late in pregnancy, around 35 -37 weeks of gestation. The test involves collecting a swab or swabs from the lower vagina and rectum and culturing the sample on a special medium (LIM or selective broth medium). The test result is usually ready in 2 or 3 days and it usually costs between $15 and $35. This culture is considered the "Gold Standard"-- *It is the best screening available*. Unfortunately, it is not perfect and may miss a small number of women (approx 5%) who carry GBS. Fortunately, it is accurate in detecting the bacteria as the "Gold Standard" culture but may be beneficial in a setting where a pregnant woman had not received prenatal care. A positive culture result means that the mother is colonized with GBS. It does *NOT* ...  more

The GBS Association advocates that every pregnant woman be screened for GBS. One third, or 1,200,000 pregnant women carry GBS Bacteria. Knowing your culture result before you go into labor can help protect your baby's life.The test should be performed late in pregnancy, around 35 -37 weeks of gestation. The test involves collecting a swab or swabs from the lower vagina and rectum and culturing the sample on a special medium (LIM or selective broth medium). The test result is usually ready in 2 or 3 days and it usually costs between $15 and $35. This culture is considered the "Gold Standard"-- *It is the best screening available*. Unfortunately, it is not perfect and may miss a small number of women (approx 5%) who carry GBS. Fortunately, it is accurate in detecting the bacteria as the "Gold Standard" culture but may be beneficial in a setting where a pregnant woman had not received prenatal care.A positive culture result means that the mother is colonized with GBS. It does *NOT* mean ...  more