This review finds that giving antibiotics is not supported by conclusive evidence. The review identified four trials involving 852 GBS positive women. Three trials, which were around 20 years old, compared ampicillin or penicillin to no treatment and found no clear differences in newborn deaths although the occurrence of early GBS infection in the newborn was reduced with antibiotics.
This means that the ACOG is, once again, found to be not practicing evidence-based medicine.
Oh that the medical community would trust women to make sound, personal, fully educated decisions regarding their own health care and that of their children. Give us the true facts and let us make our own choices people!
For more information on GBS check out: GBS: Giant Bothersome Stumbling Block
4 comments:
I was GBS+ with my second child and took the anti-biotics. I did more research later and decided that if I was positive with my third child I would not use the abx. I was told that if I had to transfer to the hospital that some of the docs might call CPS on me. Ridiculous. Luckily I was negative so it was a non-issue.
I had the initial reaction that you did, and when you examine the numbers and stats about infants contracting infections due to maternal GBS colonization, there is too little info to support automatic IV abx across the board. However, when you look into the Cochrane review, you can't draw the same conclusion, I don't think. Check this examination: http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=358 I think this is a very even handed debunking of the Cochrane's conclusion and that the info they worked with was very poor source material.
I definitely think abx for GBS should be easier to refuse, but not on the basis of the Cochrane meta analysis.
So glad you are blogging! I love coming to your blog and finding the little nuggets of knowledge every day!!!
great research info! thanks for sharing
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