Group B strep is a bacteria that lives in the bodies of 10 to 30 percent of pregnant woman, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. While the risk to a pregnant mother is small, she could pass the bacteria to her baby during birth. While neonatal group B strep infections are extremely rare, they are very serious and may result in death. For this reason, both the ACOG and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all women who test positive for group B strep receive antibiotics immediately upon rupture of membranes or onset of labor. All women who go into labor before the group B strep test is performed between 35 and 37 weeks should receive antibiotics.
Some women may wish to pursue an alternative treatment to antibiotics. They should discuss their options with their doctors or midwives.
Garlic
Garlic possesses antibacterial properties, and Midwifery Today recommends it as a treatment for group b strep. Garlic treatment may begin as soon as a woman receives a positive test result, usually around week 35 or 36. Treatment is performed nightly. Women peel the garlic, cut it in half and sew a string through it so that it may be retrieved like a tampon in the morning. Doctors and midwives may retest after two weeks of treatment to see if group B strep status has been reversed.
Goldenseal
Midwifery Today also recommends goldenseal tincture for the treatment of group B strep while pregnant. Goldenseal is an antibacterial herb derived from the buttercup plant. Treatment usually lasts two weeks. Women add 1/2 tsp. of the tincture to 2 cups of water and use the mixture as a daily vaginal rinse. At the same time, they take 500mg of goldenseal orally. They may insert a probiotic capsule, usually lactobacillus, overnight.
Chlorhexidine
Chlorhexidine, also called Hibiclens, may be an effective alternative treatment for group B strep. A February 2002 "Journal of Maternal Fetal Neonatal Medicine" study found that colonized mothers who rinsed their vaginas with chlorhexidine during labor prevented group B strep transmission to their infants at the same rates as mothers who received IV antibiotics.
Dr.Momma.org recommends that mothers cleanse with a chlorhexidine solution once every 6 hours after labor begins or the bag of waters breaks. Mix 2 tbsp. of chlorhexidine with 20 oz. of water. Fill and empty a 4-oz. periwash bottle with each rinse.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Group B Strep Prevention
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Group B Streptococcus and Pregnancy
- Midwifery Today: How to Treat a Vaginal Infection with a Clove of Garlic
- Midwifery Today: Group B Strep
- "Journal of Maternal Fetal Neonatal Medicine"; Chlorhexidine Vaginal Flushings Versus Systemic Ampicillin in the Prevention of Vertical Transmission of Neonatal Group B Streptococcus; F Facchinetti, F Piccinini; February 2002
