In plain words
Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, or IAP, is antibiotics given through an IV during labor. It is offered when a mother tests positive for , or GBS. GBS is a common bacterium that lives in the body and is usually harmless to adults. In a few babies, GBS can cause a serious infection right after birth. The antibiotic lowers the chance that the baby gets this early-onset disease. Testing is usually done late in pregnancy, between about 36 and 37 weeks. Some situations, such as a fever in labor or a prior baby with GBS, change the plan. IAP is the standard approach for carriers in US guidance, and your care team will explain the plan. It is not a sign that the baby is sick.
The deeper version
Universal late-pregnancy culture screening for GBS colonization at 36 0/7 to 37 6/7 weeks, with IAP for carriers and for other risk factors, is the US standard (Verani and colleagues, CDC guidelines, MMWR, 2010; ACOG Committee Opinion 797, 2020). Penicillin G and ampicillin are first-line agents for most patients. Surveillance documents a decline in early-onset GBS disease since the approach was adopted. Neonatal disease is rare but serious. Controversy centers on risk-based versus universal screening, on antibiotic resistance among isolates, and on whether IAP affects infant gut microbiota or later outcomes, which is not established.
Where it comes up
- Group B strepPregnancy: Your Body
- Early labor at home: when to go inGetting Ready for Birth
- When your water breaksGetting Ready for Birth
What mothers here say about intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis
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Sources
- Verani JR, McGee L, Schrag SJ — Prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease: revised guidelines from CDC, 2010. MMWR, 2010
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion 797: Prevention of Group B Streptococcal Early-Onset Disease in Newborns, 2020