Methods to Prevent/Reduce GBS Colonization

These recommendations are not to be considered as medical advice and are not intended to replace consultation with your medical provider.

 

These measures should be followed throughout pregnancy:

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Eliminate sugar, most fruit, and all junk food completely from the diet to normalize the vaginal pH - this improves the growth medium for healthy vaginal flora

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Take a quality prenatal vitamin - this helps ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need, especially zinc, vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin C, to keep your immunity boosted.

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Reduce stress through meditation, journaling, routine massage, and other relaxing activities – high stress impairs immunity, gut health, and the microbiome.

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Eat a probiotic rich diet, including things like kombucha, water kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut and other fermented foods - helps to create a healthy gut environment.

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Eat plenty of fresh garlic every day. This could include: 

• Garlic tea – Chop a clove of fresh garlic and mix with a teaspoon of honey. Swallow this without chewing it. This can be done several times a day, preferably with a meal

• Garlic elixir – Blend 1/2 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, and half a bulb of fresh garlic in your blender. Take 1/2 teaspoon, up to twice a day. Adjust the amounts, to taste, as needed

• Chop fresh garlic onto a salad, or mix with olive oil to use as a dressing or condiment

 

Take a high potency probiotic supplement, at least 4 billion cells per dose, daily - encourages healthy flora (should be taken throughout pregnancy, but especially in the case of GBS colonization)

 

Take Vitamin C with bioflavonoids, 1000 mg per day - supports the immune system and strengthens the amniotic sac (may prevent early rupture of membranes, which can increase the likelihood of GBS infection)

 

Go commando (without panties)! - exposing the perineum to airflow helps inhibit bacterial growth.  If you must wear panties, always choose 100% cotton (best for breathability).  If vaginal discharge is a concern, it is preferable to change panties throughout the day instead of using panty liners

 

Always wipe “front to back” after using the restroom - GBS often lives in the large intestine, so care should be taken to avoid transmission to the vagina

 

These measures may be considered around the 32nd week of pregnancy:

• Apple Cider Vinegar Bath - Three times a week, take a bath with 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar added to the bath.  The smell might be less than desirable, but it works. Theoretically, the bacteria cannot live in the acidic environment of the vinegar 

• Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic - Take 2 tsp of raw apple cider vinegar in water daily. Raw apple cider vinegar is great for overall digestion and can often help with heartburn as well

• Apply plain organic yogurt to a pantyliner, and wear overnight - this will transfer probiotics directly to the perineum, helping to balance bacteria and further promote healthy flora.  You may also empty a capsule of probiotics into the yogurt before application

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Vaginal garlic protocol for GBS prevention - Garlic has been shown in vitro (in laboratory petri dishes) to kill bacteria and also yeast

• Break a fresh, dry, hard clove from a bulb of garlic and peel off the paper-like cover

• Cut clove in half, or crush a whole clove (A crushed clove will be more effective because there is more surface area of the garlic exposed, but it may be more challenging to insert)

• Tie a piece of white thread very tightly around the clove, leaving a long tail of thread 

• Insert garlic at night before bed. Many women taste garlic in their mouths as soon as it is in their vagina, so it is less pleasant to treat while awake

• In the morning, the garlic may fall out when you use the bathroom.  If not, use the string to remove the garlic like you would a tampon

  • If you cannot find it, don’t worry! The clove cannot enter the uterus through the cervix. It cannot get lost - but it can get pushed into the pocket between the cervix and the vaginal wall.  If you still taste garlic, it is probably still inside. Many women have trouble getting it out the first time, so be patient and gentle!  Bearing down (as if having a bowel movement) in a squatting position may help you locate the clove

• Repeat this for 8 nights (around week 36). Or for 2 nights on, 1 night off, for 4 cycles (8 nights in 12 days)

 

Healing Vaginal Suppository - This herbal suppository can be used nightly for 3 weeks to reduce local colonization and heal vaginal tissue, if there is any inflammation or irritation

• Melt ¼ cup of coconut oil and ¼ cup of cocoa butter in a small saucepan.

• Turn off the heat and add:

  • 2 TBS calendula oil

  • 1/2 tsp of thyme or oregano essential oil

  • 2 TBS goldenseal powder

  • 1 TBS myrrh powder

• Pour the warm, slightly thick liquid into a suppository mold (you can order affordable silicon ones online). Put the whole mold into the fridge and let the suppositories harden for about an hour, then pop them out of the mold and store in the fridge in a container

• Suppository molds can easily be prepared at home by using aluminum foil that has been folded several times lengthwise, and then widthwise, to form a trough approximately 8 inches in length and 1/2 inch in width. This mixture is then poured into the mold, refrigerated to harden, cut into pieces the size of the patient’s pinky finger, and inserted as needed

• Wear a light menstrual pad each night to protect underwear and bedding, as the oil and goldenseal powders can stain as the suppository melts. These herbal products can be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs online

Aviva Romm recommends the following schedule: three nights of healing vaginal suppository, one night of garlic, two nights of perineal probiotic, one night off; repeat for three weeks.

 

These measures may be considered in the event of a positive GBS test:

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These remedies will strengthen the immune system and help to restore healthy vaginal flora, enabling the body to correct bacterial overgrowth.

• Burdock root and echinacea root infusion - drink 1 cup per day. To prepare the infusion, steep 1/2 ounce of each of these herbs in 4 cups of boiling water for 2 hours. Strain and take the above dose, storing the rest in the refrigerator for the next day

• Echinacea and astragalus tinctures - ½ tsp each, twice daily

• Grapefruit seed extract - 15 drops daily

It is a good idea to continue these treatments until your baby is born, to make it less likely the bacteria will present at the time of birth.