Pregnant women and new mothers are not being given enough information about life-threatening group B strep, a charity has warned. Group B strep bacteria are normally harmless and are common in pregnancy, but can spread to babies and cause serious illness and death.
The NHS does not routinely test for group B strep, though women can pay privately for a test and it may also be found during examinations for another reason, such as a vaginal swab. Now, the charity Group B Strep Support is calling for women to be properly informed of the risks and to find out their options if they have group B.
Some women can have antibiotics in labour to cut the chance a baby will fall ill. A survey for the charity of 529 pregnant women and mothers who had a baby in the last two years found that 66% are not getting information from their healthcare professional about group B strep.
