Comments on: Monday Health & Wellness: How to Test Negative on Group B Strep Test

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:06:44 +0000

I have been struggling with recurrent GBS in my urine now for several months, during which time we have also suffered a miscarriage – have no idea if it was related, but it could have been. I appreciate these tips and will try to incorporate some of them into my regimen. However, I would also like to point out a word of caution. Since being introduced to the world of GBS and through the research I have done, I have come to realize how tragic GBS infection in a newborn is – absolutely heartbreaking – the stories will bring you to tears. I get frustrated when I hear women who are largely against medications talk about taking steps to “test negative”, and then disregard the rest of the pregnancy. If you are going to take steps to actually rid or lower your GBS counts FOR THE DURATION of your pregnancy that is a great; however, I believe it is foolish and putting your baby at risk to take these steps simply to get a negative test several weeks away from the delivery date, and then quit.

By: Meg

Meg — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:52:48 +0000

Only 5mg of garlic? What kind of garlic was used? That seems like a very small dose to me.

By: Kate Tietje

Kate Tietje — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:04:53 +0000

Amy, you are correct that GBS can be very serious. I would recommend that any woman who chooses to follow these tips get re-tested so that she knows her GBS status going into her birth, and is aware of signs to look for in the new baby. This is especially important if a woman’s water breaks early in labor. Always discuss your options with a trained medical professional and make decisions with that professional about what is best for your situation. This is all for informational purposes only, as stated in the original post.

By: Amy G

Amy G — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:35:10 +0000

I really feel the need to chime in here to inform everyone of how serious GBS is. In 99% of cases, it isn’t, and these tips really are wonderful. However, I think maybe there should’ve been a disclaimer or something letting your readers know that, unfortunately, the 1% happens. I’m glad you posted the protocol, but there are people in the homebirth community who have lost babies to GBS sepsis because they (or worse, their midwives) did not take the threat that GBS presents seriously. YMMV, but in very rare cases, abx can save lives.

By: Kate Tietje

Kate Tietje — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:36:41 +0000

Lydia, I have read it. We (my family and hopefully my audience) do NOT make our health decisions based on scare tactics. Wren’s story is tragic and unfortunate, but she had such a high GBS count that she tested strongly positive and was given antibiotics early in her pregnancy (I believe — I don’t remember if she took antibiotics or not, but I thought so). At the end she only changed to using garlic — never retested (which this woman has), never changed her diet or tried herbs. Therein lies the problem.

Anyway, regardless, Wren’s story, while terrible, is JUST ONE STORY. What you are saying here is because one story ended badly (a story with several issues, as I’ve pointed out), all women should freak out and just get the antibiotics. No. We make decisions based on facts. If a woman can try several different interventions and then RE-TEST and be negative, then she and her midwife can make a decision about whether or not they think this is safe. This is information for women looking for another option.

In the future, if you post comments that are intended as scare tactics and not adding to the discussion, I will not post them. I don’t entertain that kind of nonsense.

By: Lydia

Lydia — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:15:00 +0000

Wow — an impressive sample of one! Please google Wren’s story for a more accurate picture of the efficacy of garlic in the treatment of GBS.

By: KathrynB

KathrynB — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:12:38 +0000

I’ve never tested positive, but when I tested negative I took high doses of probiotics and ate lots of yogurt for 2 weeks prior. Also, I was told that sex the night before the test is helpful. So, that was my regimen. I will do something similar this time and maybe add in some garlic.