Group B streptococcus (GBS) test
£60.00
What is GBS?
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is one of the many bacteria that normally live in our bodies and which usually cause no harm. Screening for GBS is not routinely offered to all pregnant women in the UK. If you carry GBS, most of the time your baby will be born safely and will not develop an infection. However, it can rarely cause serious infections such as sepsis, pneumonia or meningitis. You can read more here
What are my choices?
Because we do not routinely offer screening in the UK then it means that not only are some infections being missed but it may also impact on a woman’s choices. If you have previously been diagnosed as being a carrier of GBS in pregnancy the only option offered to you by the NHS is a drip and Intravenous antibiotics in labour. This can have an impact on your birth plans, as these antibiotics cannot be given at home if you were planning a home birth. Some women simply do not want to have antibiotics unnecessarily in labour due to the overuse of antibiotics causing resistance and the effect of the antibiotic on the infant microbiome.
If GBS was detected in a previous pregnancy and your baby was unaffected, then there is a 1 in 2 (50%) chance that you will be carrying GBS again in this pregnancy. To help you choose whether you would like to have antibiotics in labour, you can have a specific swab test (known as an Enriched Culture Medium or ECM test) It should be undertaken within 5 weeks before your birth and is the gold standard test for detecting group B strep carriage.
The national institute for for health and clinical excellence (NICE), the Royal College of obstetricians and the Group B Strep support organisation say that this test should be offered, however many trusts do not offer this service.
What is the ECM test?
This test has been specifically designed to detect group B Strep. It involves taking two swabs from both the low vagina and the rectum. Research has shown that if performed correctly, within 5 weeks before birth then a negative result is 96 % predictive that you would not be carrying group B strep at delivery. Equally a positive result is 87% predictive that you would be carrying group B strep at delivery.
Many countries offer this test to all pregnant women at this stage of pregnancy, however, in the UK we still do not. Even in cases where there has been shown to be a previous infection, it is often still not offered, even though both the NICE guidance and the RCOG say it should be. This is why it is important to offer this service to women who would like this option.
You may never have been told that you are a carrier of GBS, but still want the test for reassurance or you may have been a GBS carrier in a previous pregnancy and had a healthy baby and would like to explore your options this time. Whatever the reason I will happily talk you through this subject, and when the results are available I will call you and if necessary I will thoroughly explain the implications of a positive result and your options so that you can liaise with the hospital in which you have planned your birth in order for you to plan your care with the medical staff.
What happens at the visit?
On arrival we will discuss the subject of GBS in detail and when you are ready you can take the swabs yourself in complete privacy or I can do this for you and then send them off to the Doctor’s lab in London for analysis,How it works
Click BUY NOW and upon payment you will receive a link to book your chosen slot from my diary of appointments. The appointment will be held in Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
On arrival we will discuss the subject of GBS in detail and when you are ready you can take the swabs yourself in complete privacy or I can do this for you and then send them off to the Doctor’s lab in London for analysis,How it works
Click BUY NOW and upon payment you will receive a link to book your chosen slot from my diary of appointments. The appointment will be held in Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
You can see my current availability here, but you do need to purchase the service first before selecting an appointment time.
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