08/02/2025
It's sad but true that a lot of what happens in maternity care, even in this day and age, isn't based on good evidence.
Sometimes the evidence is ignored.
Sometimes it doesn't exist.
Sometimes the “evidence” is a biased trial which has so many issues that it’s not a fair representation of the true picture. Or of the actual women and families who need to make decisions.
Sometimes, as with Group B Strep, there is a perception that it isn't going to be possible to collect better evidence as this means ceasing a practice which is widely accepted even though there isn't good evidence to support it.
As I wrote in my book, Group B Strep Explained, the authors of the largest and best-respected medical review in this area discussed this.
“Ideally, the effectiveness of IAP [giving women preventative antibiotics in labour] to reduce neonatal GBS infections should be studied in adequately sized double-blind controlled trials. The opportunity to conduct such trials has likely been lost, as practice guidelines (albeit without good evidence) have been introduced in many jurisdictions.” (Ohlsson & Shah 2014: 1)
How can this be allowed to continue?
It's not OK that women and families should need to inform themselves in order to assess whether what they are being offered and told is correct.
But it is sadly the case that many are being misinformed, or only given one side of the story.
This is why I write books. To help women, families and those who care for them to be able to understand the bigger picture and make the decision that is right for them.
You can find the reference to the review above and loads more information on GBS via my GBS resources page which is linked at https://www.sarawickham.com/gbse/
That page also gives details of my book, Group B Strep Explained, which was written for women and families who want to understand the issues and make the decisions that are right for them.
