Pregnancy Info HOME

i've never heard of the home testing kits for group b strep, here in the states it's a mandatory test they do around 37 weeks. I had mine done yesterday and i'm not a fan of it lol, it was uncomfortable for a few seconds as they have to swab your b___t and your v____a with a q-tip like thing. Not very fun, but like i said, it's mandatory here. I guess if you have group b strep and it goes untreated you stand the risk of pa__sing the infection on to your newborn as s/he is coming out of the birth ca___l.

Well like pp said we had to have it done here in the US. If I were you I would go to a Dr and have it done even if you have to pay out of pocket. I'm not sure I could trust the at home kit.

Just wanted to put an update on this, especially for benefit of UK mums to be who dont get routine GBS testing through the NHS. I thought the home test would be £32 well spent just for peace of mind - even though the risks of GBS causing problems are small. You can order the testing kit from the mumstuff couk site - mentioned by pregnancy & birth magazine (Jan edition) - the swabs are then sent by post to the "Doctors Laboratory" who do the screening and will post and text the result to you and your midwife. The istructions are easy to follow.

ps.. they recommend the test is carried out at 35 - 37 weeks gestation

pps... the service was very efficient, they were easy to contact by phone, and my result which took 3 days to come was negative

My midwife only does the GBS test because the state requires it. She is of the opinion that even the antibiotics aren't proven all that effective against GBS and are more harmful than beneficial. Basically, if the baby is going to contract GBS, they will regardless of receiving antibiotics or not. She has natural remedies that have been proven more effective than antibiotics against it so I think it's yet another one of those things that the US makes a really big deal out of, like alcohol consumption, listeria, etc.

I tested post_tive with my 2nd and I still went ahead with my planned homebirth WITHOUT antibiotics. I did a lot of research and think it is so over b__wn and guess who makes tons of money! The midwives here believe home birth is very safe and just to take certain precautions like 1. Deliver within 16 hours of water breaking 2. Taking my temp throughout labor 3. Closely monitering baby after birth. Anyway, my dd literally came in less than 10 minutes, so even if I wanted antibiotics there would have been no time. Good luck

Oh and before I get jumped on for my post, I don't mean any disrespect to women who have had difficulties and complications from things like listeria or the GBS. I re-read what I wrote and it sounds bad. I do think that we need to take the precautions we can but that things are exaggerated.

No worries sarah... it's each and everyones individual choice whether to get tested. The risk is definately small I agree, but having read a few articles about this during my pregnancy I decided it was better to know what my status was - even if just to keep a closer eye on the baby after birth if I was positive..

Yeah I agree. I'm not totally opposed to getting tested-- not looking forward to it but it is good to know what to look for.

I hadmy GBS a week and a half ago. It wasn't at all painful; nothing like a pap smear. I've never heard about home test kits, probably because it's required by law here. From what I understand the virus is not a big deal for MOm , but can cause serious issues if baby contracts it when pa__sing through the birth ca___l. If you test + you will be given IV antibiotics once in labor. If a home test is avaiable I would think about doing it, just to be safe.