GBS

The short definition

GBS is a common bacteria that lives harmlessly in many bodies, and pregnant women are offered a swab late in pregnancy to check for it.

What it actually means

GBS is short for group B streptococcus. It is one of many bacteria that live in the human body normally. About 1 in 5 women have it, and it usually causes no symptoms at all.

Carrying GBS is not the same as having an infection. Carrying it means the bacteria are there. That on its own does not make anybody ill, and it is not something anyone has caught from anyone else.

It matters in pregnancy for one reason. The bacteria can pass to the baby during a vaginal birth. So women who carry it are offered antibiotics through a drip during labour, to lower that chance.

Where Dadda will hear it

At about 35 to 37 weeks, when a swab is offered. Then again when labour starts, because the answer changes what the hospital sets up — a drip in the arm early rather than later.

He will hear it said as three letters, never as the full words.

Not to be confused with

• Group A strep, or GAS. A different bacteria with a confusingly similar name and nothing to do with this swab. The test at 35 to 37 weeks is looking for group B.
• Bad news. A positive swab is a common result that changes the plan for labour. It is not a diagnosis of anything.