Pregnancy and childbirth introduce several unprecedented changes in a woman’s body and sometimes health complications can crop up too. Group Beta Streptococcus or GBS is one such instance. This bacteria can affect newborns and other people too, but pregnant women stand at more risk of developing health complications after being afflicted with the condition. On an average, a third of women who conceive get affected by GBS mostly in the third trimester of pregnancy. It does not spread through fluids, foods, or sexual contact.
Risks Posed By GBS
As it is, most people have this bacterium by default in their digestive tracts and face no issues. However, women who conceive and give birth face the risk of complication more. It may pave way for the onset of pneumonia, urinary tract infections and several blood borne infections. Some women may also suffer from premature delivery and miscarriage. The problem occurs when GBS multiplies during pregnancy and pose serious health risk to the women and sometimes to the babies. The mortality risk of GBS is low in newborns. Incidentally, non pregnant victims of GBS face enhanced mortality risks.
GBS Treatment Options
Pregnant women are often tested for status of GBS and if required, doctors advise using antibiotics. In most instances, doctors offer Penicillin and ampicillin to women who test positive for GBS. It is more or less the norm in the medical community to apply intravenous antibiotics during childbirth to women irrespective of GBS colonization. It works well for early-onset infection, but not so much for those afflicted with late onset GBS.
The downsides of antibiotic application for GBS in pregnant women are:
- The antibiotics kill nearly all types of bacteria, including good bacteria residing in the guts.
- It may result in the baby developing yeast infection.
- The women may develop antibiotic-resistant infections later.
- GBS bacteria can grow back even after usage of antibiotics as it has been seen sometimes.
Using Natural Remedies To Get Rid of GBS
The side effects of using antibiotic medications cannot be overlooked by those seeking a solution to GBS colonization. The good thing is that you can resort to a number of alternative natural remedies to resist GBS from growing in your gut and posing risk. These remedies cause no side effects as such and complement your mainstream treatment.
1. Resorting to Probiotic foods
You need to understand since GBS stays in your digestive tract, it is necessary to keep the functioning of the tract healthy and take steps to create a healthy environment inside the tract. GBS colonization takes place mostly owing to lack of good bacteria. Eating a probiotic rich diet does help in this regard. The theory is probiotic foods and supplements are enriched with “friendly” bacteria and they help fight the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. You can eat probiotic yogurt, some cultured vegetables and kefir for this. Several studies have indicated using probiotic products can inhibit growth of GBS.
2. Using Echinacea
Echinacea agustifolia or Purple Cone Flower is known to be effective in staving off GBS infections. Using a concoction of Echinacea root daily can help women detected with high levels of this bacterium. You can drink the infusion for 2 weeks.
3. Vaginal Flushes
It may help if you make use of Antimicrobial solutions to flush the vagina. It helps reduce bacterial colonies. However, do not use it if irritation occurs.
There are some other natural methods that are said to be helpful to reduce GBS colonization. These are using coconut oil, garlic cloves. However, the scientific efficacy of such remedies remains to be proven. It is prudent that you stick to tried and tested medical options.
Points To Keep In Mind
To prevent GBS colonization a few aspects need to be kept in mind. The bacteria always reside in the digestive tract and the overgrowth can pose serious risk. So, it makes sense to take measures that prevent the colonization rather than seeking treatment when it occurs! Keeping the pH level in vagina balanced is a prerequisite. Similarly, adopting diet and lifestyle to boost the immune system does help. It keeps the mother’s immune system strong and as a result, the baby also gets antibodies for robust immunity.