Group B Streptococcus Test

It’s  important every woman gets tested from 35 weeks onwards into your pregnancy to find out if you are carrying the bacterium to be able to receive effective treatment in labour.

Screening for GBS is not routinely offered in the NHS. Testing for GBS needs to be included in the pregnancy and birth plan and discussed with the midwife, Obstetrician or GP including the treatment plan if GBS is detected. UK guidelines recommend that, when GBS is detected during the current pregnancy, the woman should be offered intravenous antibiotics in labour. This will stop most GBS infections from developing in newborn babies.

• We offer a swab test, taken simply at home, following the method described in the UK Standard, using enriched culture medium (ECM). Two swabs (lower vaginal and rectal) need to be cultured, ideally in the last five weeks of pregnancy, to best predict GBS carriage around the time of delivery.
• Unmarked & discrete packaging.
• We provide easy-to-follow directions with the test kit allowing you to take your own sample conveniently on your own time. No lab visits, no appointments.
• We ship the test directly to you! Simply complete, place your kit in the prepaid envelope, and send it on to our labs.
• Get highly accurate results from some of the nation's most experienced labs.
• Your results are independently validated by a qualified clinical healthcare professional to ensure validity and reliability.
• Our home self-test kit is a convenient starting point and we will give you indication of what you should do next.
• Early detection is crucial in reducing any long term consequences that may have a considerably damaging effect on your babies health. Antibiotics may affect the GBS test result. If you are taking antibiotics, or have recently, discuss this with your midwife or doctor.