GBS+ During Pregnancy

Group B Strep Infection (GBS+) During Pregnancy

Tara Carpenter, NC.

Nutrition Consultant specialized in therapeutic nutrition to heal mild to severe health conditions, esp. digestive disturbances involving yeast, bacteria, parasites, and viruses.

The mom in this photo tested positive with group B strep* infection (GBS+) in her final trimester of pregnancy and received I.V. antibiotics during labor. Group B strep are a pathogenic bacterium that sporadically live in the rectum, intestines, urinary tract, and genital area of all pregnant and non-pregnant healthy people.

These bacteria don’t typically cause problems when kept in check (in balance) by the good flora microorganisms (a.k.a. probiotics) that naturally live in your body, but if allowed to overpopulate they can cause a mild to serious infection. Especially during pregnancy when more than 25% of women are diagnosed with this infection. This is a concern as a GBS infection can be harmful to both the mother and her baby.

Signs of a GBS Infection

Vaginal Burning and irritation
Unusual vaginal discharge (often mistaken for a yeast infection)
“Vaginitis” symptoms
Bladder infections (with or without symptoms)
Previous miscarriages
Positive GBS test result

Lots of women do not have the above symptoms. This is why routine GBS screenings are a part of your prenatal care. Ask your care provider to test you earlier in pregnancy; not just in the 3rd trimester at 35-37 weeks.

Women who test GBS+in the last trimester of pregnancy are said to be ‘colonized’. This simply means the GBS dominate the good flora and have established themselves in the mother’s birth canal. This poise’s problem for a baby soon to travel down that canal to be born. GBS can also travel from mom’s vagina to her uterus during labor. These are 2 ways a mom’s GBS infection can be passed on to her baby during a vaginal delivery.

GBS+ is the #1 cause of life threatening infections for newborn.

Not every baby born to a mom with GBS+ will contract GBS+. More often it’s babies born to mom’s with large amounts of GBS in her system at greatest risk. Statistics show 1 in 2,000 babies become infected, yet the outcome can be severe enough that most physicians now test for GBS in routine prenatal care.

A newborn can become ill if GBS enters its bloodstream with symptoms of shock, pneumonia, and meningitis. GBS+ is #1 cause of life threatening infection for a newborn and though rare, GBS can cross intact membranes and infect baby in utero. Baby is not the only one affected by GBS+ as this infection can also cause a mother to miscarry, deliver prematurely, and/or get a bladder or womb infection (i.e., amnionitis, endometriosis).

During pregnancy it’s easier to become infected by GBS because a pregnant woman’s body undergoes big hormonal and chemical changes as soon as she is pregnant; especially in the 3rd trimester when her body changes go up another notch. For example, the sugar content of her vaginal fluids increase exponentially as does warm blood pooling her pelvic area. GBS thrive and grow in sugary environments and bask in the added warmth. A perfect growing medium for the group B strep bacteria!

Pregnancy strains mom’s immune system.

All this activity in a pregnant mom’s body can strain her immune system and hamper its ability to keep GBS from colonizing even more. This makes it hard for her to fight off the infection. Adding to all of this is the fact that GBS create harmful toxins that can stress a mom’s kidneys because of all the extra waste that they now need to filter out.

If the immune system is down, GBS can have an easier time overpopulating good flora and travel from mom’s surface membranes (where they typically live when harmless) and invade/infect her bloodstream and tissues, even organs. If this occurs, a mom may test positive (+) for GBS.

Whether you are pregnant already or hope to be in the future, now is a good time to prepare for a healthy baby to be born naturally via the vagina if that is what you so choose. Here are some tips and tricks to try for that.

*Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is NOT Group A Streptococcus (causes strep throat).

May all bellies be happy!

Resources

https://www.thejessecause.org/pages/gbs_brochure.html

https://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=615

How One Mom & Her Baby Thrived on The Body Ecology Diet

Strep B and the Body Ecology Recommendations to Avoid It

References

Gardner, J. (1987). Vaginal Infections. Healing Yourself During Pregnancy. Freedom, CA.: The Crossing Press

Gates, D. (2007). Strep B and The Body Ecology Recommendations to Prevent and Overcome It. Retrieved from https://bodyecology.com/articles/strep_b_prevent_and_overcome.php#.UkbjPobkvNl

Iannelli, V. M.D. (2004). More About Group B Strep. Retrieved from https://pediatrics.about.com/cs/commoninfections/a/group_b_strep_3.htm

Nettleman, Mary. M.D. (2009). Group B Strep Infection. Retrieved from https://www.emedicinehealth.com/group_b_strep_infection/page2_em.htm

Pulugurtha, S. (2010) Causes of a Strep B Infection. Retrieved from https://www.livestrong.com/article/255715-causes-of-a-strep-b-infection/

The Group B Strep Association (n.d.). Awareness of Group B Streptococcus Infection During Pregnancy.

Is Your Unborn Baby at High Risk for GBS+

Food That May Prevent GBS+ During Pregnancy

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links for products I believe in and use on a regular basis. See more here. All content is for general information only, primarily educational in nature, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your primary health-care practitioner that you, the reader, may require for any cause whatsoever, now or in future. Please consult your primary practitioner regarding any health problem(s) you have and keep them informed to the opinions, ideas, and advice on this site that you find useful. Please email me at tara@happybellies.net for any questions or concerns that you have.

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