strep +: how to swab "negative"

[Dandelionkid]

I always swab + for strep: first baby had one dose of abx during labor before refusing anymore. second baby just got to hospital too late for abx. I want to be at the hospital earlier this time- no transition in the car (cross fingers) so will likely be offered abx. I will get the swab done soon- due in 9 weeks. I always do the swab myself at home- any ideas for making it come out positive (besides not doing it at all ?

[Cartesia]

Yes!

Here's what I did:

I tested + for GBS at 37 weeks. My HB MW mentioned the possibility of using chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) washes during labor as an alternative to antbx.

So, I figured if Hibiclens does work, it should also be able to "work" to get a negative test result.

SO...about an hour before I restested, I did a gentle wash (mostly external, vaginal opening & anus) with 2/3 water & 1/3 hibiclens. Five days later I did another test, same way. Both were negative.

Now, I am not at all saying that my current status is neg, but it does seem like the Hibiclens worked for me to get a neg test result. Obviously you don't want to be using it on a regular basis, but for the sake of getting a neg test, it seems reasonable to me.

In the meantime I've also changed to a more expensive, super high quality intestinal probiotic AND a probiotic specifically targeting the vagina. I suppose that could have made a difference in the test, but I don't think I was on it long enough.

To me, the cool part about using Hibiclens for retesting is that you can do it super fast - some of the natural remedies may work for some folks, but it does seem hit or miss and it takes awhile. It also helped me feel confident about the use of Hibiclens in labor as an effective option.

Again, I'm not assuming my actual status is now neg. I suppose it could have returned, or a heavy colonization could be higher in my vagina or even have crossed the membranes. My understanding is that the last possibility is rare. My MW was not in favor of testing my urine, nor was I.

I plan to use Hibiclens in labor, unless my water is broken for a super duper long time in which case I will reconsider antbx. Testing neg was mostly important to me in case of a hospital transfer, since my MW will leave the antbx choice up to me.

I'm now 39 +5 and eagerly awaiting some action!!!

Good luck!

[annekh23]

Originally Posted by Dandelionkid

I always swab + for strep: first baby had one dose of abx during labor before refusing anymore. second baby just got to hospital too late for abx. I want to be at the hospital earlier this time- no transition in the car (cross fingers) so will likely be offered abx. I will get the swab done soon- due in 9 weeks. I always do the swab myself at home- any ideas for making it come out positive (besides not doing it at all ?

I know there is some kind of protocol that involves sticking garlic cloves up there, try googling for GBS garlic, to see if anything comes up.

I'm not sure if I'm following exactly what you want to acheive, do you want a negative swab purely to get doctors off your back, or do you want a negative swab and to still be negative at the time of delivery? (I totally understand not wanting abx and imo it's a reasonable choice in a lot of cases, but some people desire to be doing something active against transmission).

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gbs.html is probably a good starting point for more infor on garlic and on other ideas.

Cheers
Anne

[chandasz]

If you want to test for GBS and test negative-- the "remedy" on Gentle Birth.org has a really good track record. Do it for at least 2 weeks though.

If you want to simply "trick the test"-- why are you doing the test at all? It is an option

[Cartesia]

Chandasz, I'm not sure the OP wants to "trick" the test...

but one very good reason to want a neg test instead of no test at all is that if you birth in a hospital, (either by plan or unexpectedly), many places will treat an unknown GBS status as an assumed positive...So, if the mama doesn't get antbx in labor (either b/c she doesn't want them or b/c there isn't enough time), baby will be taken for testing and observation for 24-48 hours and given antbx even before showing any signs of being sick.

This is at least true in my state, don't know about yours.

For me, using the Hibiclens wasn't about "tricking" the test but mostly about making a decision between using Hibiclens versus antbx during labor. I felt that getting 2 neg tests with Hibiclens helped me feel comfortable with that alternative. Also, now that I don't have to worry about satisfying general hospital protocol, my midwife and I can make our own decision about if and when IV antbx would become appropriate for me, which luckily she can give me at home.

This is a very different scenario than either + or unknown status would be in the event of a necessary hospital transfer.