However, there are risk factors that can alert your doctor that your risk of having a baby with GBS infections is increased. GBS colonization can be determined before delivery. This is one risk factor for infection. Complications of labor such as premature onset, prolonged duration of ruptured amniotic membranes, and fever during labor are also risk factors. Intrapartum Antibiotic Treatment Treatment of the mother and indirectly the fetus during labor is called intrapartum therapy.
Antibiotics pass from the mother's blood stream through the placenta to the infant.
These antibiotics may prevent infection or may provide very early treatment of infection. The current best hope for prevention seems to be intrapartum antibiotics. However, treating all women needlessly exposes non colonized women to antibiotics. Deciding which women to treat has been difficult and the source of some disagreement among professionals. There are at least two prevention strategies which your doctor might follow.