The testing and treatment for group B strep during pregnancy, labour and after the birth varies widely between hospitals and caregivers and is thought to be controversial by some. Between 5 and 30% of all pregnant women will test positive for Group B Strep at any one time. However, some women will have a tendency to test positive for the bacteria. That is, they will tend to test positive for subsequent pregnancies. Other women will never test positive, and a few will test positive sometimes, and negative at others.
Group B strep can be tested for:
With a sterile urine specimen
With a lower vaginal swab (LVS)
When the waters break
A sterile urine specimen
Many caregivers will routinely take a sterile urine specimen at the first pregnancy visit. This is to look for any urine infections, including the presence of group B strep. About 5 -10 % of women (pregnant and non-pregnant) will have what is called 'asymptomatic bacteriuria'. This is bacteria growing in the bladder without the women being aware of any symptoms. Group B Strep may also be present in the
urethra, contaminating the urine as it is being passed for the specimen. This is why the urine specimen is taken 'midstream' (or by passing a small amount of urine into the toilet, then a little into the sterile container, then passing the rest of the urine into the toilet - not an easy task!)
The urine specimen is sent to the
pathologist. The results are normally available in 2- 3 days. If the urine specimen is 'positive' for group B strep, the caregiver may recommend a course of antibiotics (usually a penicillin type, or an alternative if you are allergic to penicillin). This is aimed at reducing the chances of the woman developing a bladder infection later in the pregnancy, sometimes leading to
premature labour. However, be aware that treating an early bladder infection will not prevent the group B strep from recurring later in the pregnancy (at the time of birth).