Probiotics for Group B Strep

[jnezmama02]

I tested pos for Group B Strep right before both girls were born. I read a while back that some people are told to take probiotics to help clear their guts of the colonies. Has anyone tried it or know someone who has?  I'd really like to not have to deal w/ it if I don't have to (yes, I know there's a slim chance to contract it, but DH and I feel it's better to take the antibiotics than not if we I test pos).

[moogie]

wihout knowing much about strep b, probiotics and ABC yoghurts have always worked brilliantly at killing bad bacteria in my system.  I'm assuming it would work similarly with group  b strep.

[Karen + Greta]

Hi Hope,

I know you posted this a while ago, but I just found it....(I usually just stick with the chit chat!)

Did you find the answer you were looking for? My understanding of probiotics, was more to protect your good bacteria from getting knocked out by the antibiotics for the bad ones.  Im very interested in this too, because I also was strep B+ and think the antibiotics had alot to do with Greta getting thrush, which had alot to do with me not trying to nurse her, so Id like to avoid that in the future, if I get the chance! 

[jnezmama02]

No, I haven't really found an answer. I found a few links to things discussing ways to prevent group b strep, but it's a lot of jumping thru hoops and is still quite speculative. Also, a lot of it seems more geared toward "beating the test" rather than really getting rid of the Strep B colonies. I don't like this. If I really have it, I feel it's important to know b/c there is a chance of a baby contracting group B syndrome...especially for me b/c my water broke 36hrs and 19hrs before DDs were born...so I'm expecting a similar situation w/ this one.

[moogie]

i don't think they even do the group b strep test here in oz.  at what stage do they test for it?

[Karen + Greta]

The way they do it here is test you at your first internal (for me it was 10 weeks) and if you are positive then, they consider you to be positive and you will get antibiotics at delivery.  If you test negative early on, they test you again around 35 weeks or so, to see if you are positive then.

[jnezmama02]

Karen, my dr. only does the test at around 36 weeks b/c he says that it can come and go...so he only wants to know if you are colonized right before the baby is due (giving it a few weeks before due date to allow for test results to come back and for potential early deliveries). 

Megs, testing for GBS wasn't done routinely in the US until the late 1990s and wasn't recommended to all pg women (btwn weeks 35 and 37) by the CDC until 2002.

[moogie]

maybe its more prevalent in the U.S.  i only had one internal during my pregnancy and that was just a follow up pap smear only.

[jnezmama02]

Megs, here's an Australian medical source I found. It seems like testing is common there as well. Perhaps you were swabbed for it during your exam and just didn't know it?  Or maybe your particular dr./midwife doesn't test for it.

http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?article=3332

[Karen + Greta]

So how do you guys feel about the testing?  Im for it, because I know the rate of babies catching strep B went way way down when they started it.  But Im not sure how I feel about being tested at 6 weeks, and automatically being given abx because of it.  Like I said, I think it had to do with G getting thrush, and me then being afraid of trying to nurse her.

If it's a normal bacteria you have, and they just want to make sure you dont have a bad "colony" of it at the time of delivery, they should just test right before.  But if that's your OBs protocol....

[jnezmama02]

I think testing for it is good, but really unnecessary unless it's right at the end of pg. Actually, I just read something online the other day that a new test has been approved for it recently. It's also a swab test, but instead of taking 2-3 days to grow the culture and see the result...it only takes 1-2hrs.  So, to me, that makes the most sense to use. But, it doesn't help in a delivery situation b/c you're supposed to get to doses of the penicillan before the birth of the baby and they're supposed to be 1-2 hrs apart. I'm sure that means that there would be a lot of women giving birth before the full dose of meds can be given. It would, however, alarm the medical staff to watch for signs of disease in an infant (though sometimes it takes 2-3 days to show up in the newborn).

[heathernkids]

I started taking probiotics 3 mo ago after opting to not get Brinn the rotavirus vax, they have helped me tremendously! I have all sorts of stomach problems and I've felt much better since taking them.