Group B Strep Explained

Group B Strep Explained is the second edition of a popular book by Dr Sara Wickham.

It helps parents, professionals and others to understand the issues and the evidence relating to the screening and prophylactic measures offered to pregnant women in the hope of preventing early-onset group B strep (EOGBS) disease.

Get your copy here:

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What’s it all about?

Group B strep is a common and usually harmless bacterium, but it can very occasionally cause serious disease in newborn babies. Many pregnant women are offered testing and treatment for GBS, but there are pros and cons to this, especially as the main treatment involves giving intravenous antibiotics to many women during labour.

In this book, Dr Sara Wickham discusses the different perspectives on and approaches to GBS. She compares the different kinds of screening and treatment that are available for GBS. The book also discusses wider issues, the answers to parents’ most frequently asked questions and much more.

Please be aware that the older (AIMS) edition of this book is now out-of-date, especially in relation to the UK guidance in this area. The new book has also been updated following the publication of new research studies. For example the BMJ paper showing universal screening for GBS may do more harm than good. The older version of the book should not be relied upon, as it does not reflect current practice. Read on for more on what’s new in the second edition.

Get your copy here:

Amazon   Waterstones   Wordery   GBBS

Kindle   Kobo   Apple   Other retailers

You can also order Group B Strep Explained from your local indie bookshop, the IBSN is 978-1-999806422.

*We have affiliate accounts with some of these retailers. Any profit goes to the Birth Information Project.

What are people saying?

“Sara has written an excellent and important book.

She has pulled all of the evidence (in its many forms) together into a comprehensive woman-centred resource. Sara’s writing makes complex information accessible to all. I’d recommend this book to women, and anyone involved in caring for childbearing women. I learned lots.” – Dr Rachel Reed, Midwifery Lecturer and Author of MidwifeThinking.

“Sara has a remarkable ability to search through extensive amounts of research and to translate it into simple, easy to understand language. She has achieved that once again in this beautifully written book. The choices women face as they negotiate their births are challenging, but are always made easier by having accurate, easy to understand information. This is THE book to go to for everything you need to know about GBS.” – Dr Kirsten Small, Obstetrician Gynaecologist.

“This book is an essential read for any pregnant woman who is a GBS carrier. I can not recommend highly enough, for Sara’s balanced account of what this actually means, offering all sorts of evidence based advice from a number of respected up date sources. It’s easy to just do as the doctors say but my instincts said otherwise and this book really helped relieve anxiety and make a clearer decision that was right for us as a family. It’s also very well written for an easy read within a few days. Thanks so much Sara!” – Kelly

“This is the best information ever I have read about group b strep. Very insightful and holistic. It gives both an excellent overview and explains very many details concerning this topic. It is extremely useful both for mothers having to make decisions about their care and for professionals to widen their understanding and adjust their practice. I am myself a midwife and I learned so much from this book!” – Nina Rinkes

What’s new?

“This second edition, published in May 2019, has been expanded and updated to make it more relevant and useful.

In the previous (2014) version of the book, I focused very much on the approach used in the UK. But it needed to be rewritten, for three reasons. One, the RCOG changed their guidance, so we needed a new version which reflected current practice recommendations. (Not that anyone needs to follow the recommendations if they’re not right for you, but it’s good to know what will be offered, when and why.)

The second issue was that women and families in other countries wanted information too, and there wasn’t much else out there. But the screening and treatment approaches vary around the world. So I rewrote the book to reflect this and it discusses the pros and cons of each approach. It’s confusing to try and understand why something that seems to help isn’t always offered to everyone, and my book explains why. (In a nutshell, because there are risks and downsides as well as benefits, and there isn’t as much evidence for the benefits as you might think.)

And last but definitely not least, new research had been published, including a couple of significant reviews. I wanted to be sure the book included this new and useful evidence. I’ve also included information about private testing, PCR testing, alternatives to antibiotics and discussion about other approaches and future possibilities.

The new edition has now helped thousands of women and families, and I hope it will help you, too.”

About the Author

Dr Sara Wickham is an author, educator, and researcher. She has more than 25 years experience as a midwife and educator and her first book was published in 2001.

Sara is now the author or editor of eighteen books and has edited three midwifery journals. She provides in-person and online educational and consultancy services for midwifery, medical and health-related practitioners and organisations around the world.

Looking for my Group B Strep resources page?

Find it here.

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