Strep B Symptoms in Pregnant Women

The Facts

• A bacterium that occurs naturally in your body, GBS is typically located in your vagina and lower intestine. According to data from the March of Dimes, approximately 25 percent of pregnant women carry this bacterium in their bodies. (see reference 1). If you carry GBS but do not show symptoms of infection, then your body is considered to be colonized by GBS, a normal occurrence that is not accompanied by sickness or symptoms of illness; occasionally, if you are colonized by GBS, the bacterium overruns your body and causes other conditions that must be treated for your own health as well as that of your unborn baby.

Symptoms

• Unfortunately, other than a lab culture, there are no clear symptoms that indicate GBS in a pregnant woman. If your body is colonized with GBS, then you are more likely to develop other infections during pregnancy as a result of the bacterium's presence in your body, including urinary tract infections and womb infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (see reference 2) Common symptoms of urinary tract infections from GBS include a frequent need to urinate, burning during urination, and strong-smelling, cloudy or blood-tinged urine. Womb infections could also occur during pregnancy or following delivery as a result of GBS.

Screening

• The only sure way to identify pregnant women who carry GBS occurs as a result of a vaginal or rectal swab conducted during late pregnancy. Some time between week 35 and week 37 of your pregnancy, your obstetrician or midwife will take a swab of your vagina and rectum area, sending the swab for lab tests that indicate whether or not you carry GBS. If you are identified as a carrier for GBS, do not panic. The fact that you carry GBS does not necessarily indicate that you or your baby will develop symptoms or infections; your status as a carrier simply increases the likelihood of infection and allows your doctor to take preventative measures to keep your baby from developing an infection from your GBS.

Risk Factors

• If you develop symptoms of GBS or a lab culture identifies you as a carrier, certain risk factors increase your likelihood of infecting your baby with GBS during birth. According to the March of Dimes, risk factors include early labor (delivery prior to week 37 of pregnancy), a fever higher than 100.4 Fahrenheit during labor and a bag of water that has been ruptured for over 18 hours without delivery. (see reference 1) In the presence of these risk factors, your doctor will typically treat you with antibiotics intravenously during your labor and delivery in order to reduce the levels of GBS in your body.

Prevention/Solution

• Although you cannot prevent your GBS symptoms during pregnancy, you and your doctor can take measures to manage your symptoms and prevent infection of your baby with GBS at birth. Depending upon your symptoms, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics during your pregnancy to manage the level of GBS in your body. If you have been identified as a GBS carrier, be sure to remind the labor and delivery team when you arrive at the hospital so they can begin treatment to prevent the spread of GBS to your baby. According to the March of Dimes, antibiotic treatment for GBS seems to be most effective when administered at least 4 hours before your baby is delivered.