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Strep B

Strep B is the most common cause of infection in newborn babies. Without knowing it 20-40% of women carry the bacteria and it can be passed to your baby during delivery. Infections such as sepsis (infection of the blood), pneumonia (infection of the lung) and meningitis (infection of the tissue surrounding the brain) can be very dangerous in babies, and result in permanent damage or death.  

If you are a known carrier, you are given a course of antibiotics during labour to prevent the bacteria passing to your baby.  Carrying group B Strep has no symptoms, so testing is the only way to find out if you are carrying the bacteria. 

But despite that, the NHS does not routinely test all pregnant women for group B Strep. And when they do test, it's often with the wong test .  Many maternity units still use a standard test that misses up to half of the women carrying group B Strep.  

With our ECM test it is easy to get a test to see if you carry strep B, and keep your baby safe. 

Test components:

  • GBS - Enriched Culture Medium 1 

  • GBS - Enriched Culture Medium 2

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FAQs?

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You are not alone, here are some of our most asked questions.

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What is strep B?
Strep B, often called Group B strep (GBS) is one of many common bacteria that live in or on our bodies. It is just there - is not a sign of poor health or poor hygiene and you should never feel embarrassed if you carry these bacteria.
How common is strep B?
Strep B is very common. 20-40% of pregnant women in the UK carry the bacteria.
Why test?
It is impossible to know if you carry strep B. Routine testing is not routinely offered to all pregnant women in the UK, but you can buy a private test and make sure you know if you are a carrier of strep B.
We use an enriched culture medium (ECM) test. The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) has recommended in their guideline on group B Strep that selected pregnant women should be offered the ECM test.
What are the risks of strep B?
Most of the time your baby will be born safely and will not develop an infection. However, if you have a normal delivery, then there is a chance that you can pass the infection to your baby. it can cause serious infection such as sepsis (infection in the blood), pneumonia (infection in the lungs) or meningitis (infection around the brain).

On average in the UK, at least 1 or 2 babies a day develop a serious Strep B infection. One baby a week may die from their strep B infection, and one baby a week may survive with long-term disabilities – physical, mental or both.

Strep B is easy to treat during delivery. It is a risk you do not need to take.
How can I find out if I carry Group B Strep?
This is very simple. Order the test from MyVita. We will send you a test pack containing two swabs and instructions how to take both a vaginal and an anal sample. These samples should be taken at around the 36th week of your pregnancy – perhaps a week or two earlier if you are expecting twins. You then post these to our laboratory, and they will give you the result in a couple of days.
How can the risk to babies from Strep B be reduced?
It is important to start by saying that the risk to your baby is low, but it is a risk you do not need to take.

If your test comes back positive, then inform your GP, obstetrician or midwife and discuss the options and if necessary, any changes to your birth plan. Most infections can be prevented by giving you an antibiotic through your vein during delivery. This will significantly reduce the risk of passing on the infection to your baby.

Strep B Campaign

Group B Streptococcus is the UK's most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies, and of meningitis in babies under age 3 months. Most of these infections are preventable. Despite babies needlessly dying this test is not routinely done on the NHS, but we believe it should be. Please visit our campaign page for Strep B resources, stories and to sign the petition to introduce Strep B screening.

Take me to campaign Sign petition
Pick your test
Pick the right test for you and we'll deliver it straight to your door, all in a handy letterbox sized package.
Collect sample
The test kit will guide you through how and the best time to perform a finger prick blood test. Simply collect your sample and used the pre-paid box to send back to our laboratory for testing.
See your results
Our accredited lab will perform the test, and upload your results to your dashboard, with expert advice on then best next steps. Usually within 2 days or receiving your sample.
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