[oxy-moron]

This issue can often be fixed with Folic acid and Vitamin B12 supplements.
Sometimes as quickly as within 24 Hours.
Lots of info on this on the Earth clinic website.

[spearec1]

I BEAT STREP B. DON'T PANIC!

I'm a 33 year old woman with a long term partner, in an open relationship. I have suffered on and off with thrush since I became sexually active, but I haven't worried too much about it because it's 'harmless'.

About 8 weeks ago, after sex, I noticed that things were very sore downstairs and when I looked, I was very swollen on one of my virginal lips. It was similar to a baloon, and scared me half to death. When I put clothes on it rubbed, and generally made me very uncomfortable. I was also suffering from a pungent smell at the tail end of my period.

I went to my Dr who swabbed me for STI's and found I had strep B. I found this forum and really began to worry. It seemed like Strep B was a nightmare I was about to enter for the rest of my life.

My Dr was reluctant to prescribe anything at all to treat the step, because she believed it was only a problem for pregnant women. I was deeply unhappy about this, the smell and swelling were good enough reasons in my book! She prescribed Amoxicillin. The smell and soreness went within a few days much to my relief, however I was then hit with a very very nasty attack of thrush. I treated this with an over the counter oral once pill and cream, and it improved, but things still weren't right. I went to the Dr who gave me a week long course of thrush pills, and all my symptoms went.

All the research tells you that strep B is not sexually transmitted. This just doesn't make any sense to me. Strep B is a bacteria. If we knew a work surface had bacteria on it, would we lick it and make love to it? No!! So I did extensive research on line and although for some god unknown reason the Drs don't want to acknowledge it, there is very strong research showing that in most cases, where one partner is colonised, the other is too. So... armed with a letter from me, my parter was sent to the Dr. He'd also had a fishy smell around the head of his penis, and thankfully without having to be swabbed etc the Dr prescribed antibiotics which cleared it completely.

During this process I ordered Femdophilus Probiotics which I believe have helped to right any other imballances I might have had. I have had no sign of thrush at all since I began taking them.

Douching - I'd read that douching was bad, but I have never pushed water or solutions up there, so I didn't think I was doing myself any wrongs. However on a daily basis in the shower, I would extract some discharge using my fingers, to check it. Having read online that this is also very bad for the balance of bacteria, I have completely stopped.

And finally, like any bad accident, it turns out that it was not just strep B which was responsible for the swelling that started all my panic and discomfort! Everything had settled down, we'd stopped wearing condoms, I'd been re-tested and found to have no Strep B, and we'd had a nice afternoon in bed, when I found things mildly uncomfortable down there again. After putting 2 and 2 together, we worked out that my fella had changed mouthwash weeks ago, and both times he'd given me oral.

There is hope, you can kill strep B, but you do have to be insistent with the Dr's who think they know everything and actually know very little. Don't blindly accept what they tell you, do your homework and challenge them. If they know everything, they shouldn't mind you asking a few questions!!

Good luck!

[spearec1]

Evidence and sites, to help you convince your Dr that strep B is sexually transmittable - Get your partner treated!

Group B strep remains the most common cause among newborns (neonates) of infection of the blood (septicemia) and of the brain (meningitis). The responsible bacterium, usually S. agalactiae, may be found most often in the vagina and rectum of females and may be transmitted sexually, as well as to a fetus as the infant passes through the birth canal.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a common inhabitant of the bowel and vaginal flora, with known transmission routes including sexual contact and vertical transmission from mother to infant.

Background. Group B Streptococcus causes morbidity and mortality among newborns, pregnant women, and nonpregnant adults. Among adults, sexual and fecal-oral routes of transmission are hypothesized; this study addresses whether sexual transmission occurs. Methods. Our outcome of interest was group B Streptococcus. From our investigation of the heterosexual transmission of urinary tract infections among college students at the University of Michigan, conducted in 1996-1999, we identified 120 couples in which one or both partners carried group B Streptococcus. Each partner completed a questionnaire regarding potential risk factors for colonization. Results. Co-colonization with the identical group B Streptococcus strain (as determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) occurred in 86% of the 57 co-colonized couples. When the male sex partner carried group B Streptococcus, 64% of female partners also were colonized; conversely, 49% of male partners of colonized females were colonized with identical strains. Among behaviors predicting co-colonization within the partnership, male-to-female oral sex was a risk factor among both women (odds ratio [OR] = 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-6.9) and men (OR = 2.5; CI = 1.1-5.6). First sex at age 20 years or older was associated with an increased risk among women (OR = 2.1; CI = 0.7-6.4) and among men (OR = 3.0; CI = 1.0-9.3), and four or more lifetime sex partners was associated with a decreased risk of co-colonization among women (OR = 0.6; CI = 0.2-1.5) and among men (OR = 0.4; CI = 0.2-1.0). Conclusions. Among heterosexual college couples, sexual activity, particularly male-to-female oral sex, increases the risk of co-colonization with an identical group B Streptococcus strain. Future studies should evaluate the role of the pharynx and examine the effects of both bacterial characteristics and host response on transmission.

(Links removed)

[young&confused]

Hi ladies, have sat here and read every single post in this thread, in tears almost. I am so relieved to hear that others are too experiencing what I am currently going through (not that Im happy for your pain, but to know Im not alone) after many failed diagnosis', I have been diagnosed with Strep B. I am in horrible pain, often cant walk. But is subsiding now. The burning whilst urinating has subsided now as I refuse to scratch as I was.

The itching is horrible, not to mention the discharged. I am forced to wear pads as it is so bad, the stench is horrible also, I sit very close to others at work and am always very paranoid.

I am at my wits end, and am sure my partner is too. It is very straining on or relationship. Even though we are married. They do not know/understand the pain that Im experiencing.

PLEASE HELP! I am only 21 and cannot bear to have this for another day let alone a life time. Six months is too long.

Many Thanks,

Young and Confused!!!

[sheilam1965]

Hi, Ladies:

I just wanted to share with you what helped me to combat Group B Strep. First, a little background. I initially had a urinary tract infection that was cultured as E-Coli. I was given an antibiotic for that (I believe it was Keflex). Well, the E-Coli cleared up, but then my urine showed heavy colonization of Group B Strep! The doctor gave me Amoxicillin for the Group B strep, but it did not clear it up.

By this point I am frustrated, irritated, and scared to take more antibiotics. My physical symptoms were fatigue, somewhat cloudy urine, slight kidney pain in the left side of my back, occasional hip discomfort, and sometimes this weird prickly sensation in my center back.

I began trying to eat better (less sugar), and I also tried a bunch of natural cures. I tried Grapefruit Seed Extract, coconut oil, d-mannose powder, uva ursi. I drank a ton of water. And I ate copious amounts of raw garlic. Oh, I also made it a point to drink my green smoothies, get plenty of exercise, and I'd take my probiotics as well.

Well, my symptoms would sometimes seem to go away. I would think things were looking up. Then I got another urine culture, and it showed that my colonization was down to less than 10,000. So things were better, but still not 100% gone.

Finally, I bought a product called Allimax and began taking ten capsules a day (which is 1800 mg), and after a month, I finally felt like my old self again! The Allimax was not cheap, but this stuff really worked. I found that buying it in bulk was the cheapest way to go. I bought six boxes from the UK for about $182.00 It was the final piece of the puzzle that helped me to get my system straightened out once and for all. Also, I had my husband take the Allimax with me just to be on the safe side.

I just wanted to encourage you ladies to keep looking for a cure. It's out there. And doctors don't know everything. It took me about seven months to finally figure out what would work for me, but I'm finally feeling good again.

I felt that the antibiotics just put my system all out of whack and did not cure a darn thing.

If you want to read more info about Allicin, there is a really great page at (removed link)
Best wishes to you all.

[sheilam1965]

Oops. The natural product that I spoke of above is actually called Allicin Max, not Allimax, at least the one that I used. And it came in 90 count boxes.

I also forgot to mention that it is really important for you to restore your body's good bacteria. Using antibiotics wipes out good bacteria. So once I got off the prescribed antibiotics, I started drinking kefir, and I took femdophilus and also acidophilus.

[kryan2]

I want to try

Can you give me a more in dept description of how you used each product




I just wanted to share with you what helped me to combat Group B Strep. First, a little background. I initially had a urinary tract infection that was cultured as E-Coli. I was given an antibiotic for that (I believe it was Keflex). Well, the E-Coli cleared up, but then my urine showed heavy colonization of Group B Strep! The doctor gave me Amoxicillin for the Group B strep, but it did not clear it up.

By this point I am frustrated, irritated, and scared to take more antibiotics. My physical symptoms were fatigue, somewhat cloudy urine, slight kidney pain in the left side of my back, occasional hip discomfort, and sometimes this weird prickly sensation in my center back.

I began trying to eat better (less sugar), and I also tried a bunch of natural cures. I tried Grapefruit Seed Extract, coconut oil, d-mannose powder, uva ursi. I drank a ton of water. And I ate copious amounts of raw garlic. Oh, I also made it a point to drink my green smoothies, get plenty of exercise, and I'd take my probiotics as well.

Well, my symptoms would sometimes seem to go away. I would think things were looking up. Then I got another urine culture, and it showed that my colonization was down to less than 10,000. So things were better, but still not 100% gone.

Finally, I bought a product called Allimax and began taking ten capsules a day (which is 1800 mg), and after a month, I finally felt like my old self again! The Allimax was not cheap, but this stuff really worked. I found that buying it in bulk was the cheapest way to go. I bought six boxes from the UK for about $182.00 It was the final piece of the puzzle that helped me to get my system straightened out once and for all. Also, I had my husband take the Allimax with me just to be on the safe side.

I just wanted to encourage you ladies to keep looking for a cure. It's out there. And doctors don't know everything. It took me about seven months to finally figure out what would work for me, but I'm finally feeling good again.

I felt that the antibiotics just put my system all out of whack and did not cure a darn thing.

If you want to read more info about Allicin, there is a really great page at (removed link)
Best wishes to you all.[/QUOTE]

[kryan2]

Specialist

I am 19 years old and have been suffering from a reoccurring Group B Strep along with Bacterial Vaginosis. I have taken about 8 rounds of anti-biotics and nothing has worked so I am scheduling an appointment with this specialist and hopefully he can give me the CURE!!! Until the I was advised by his staff to maintain and healthy sugar free diet, take lots of Probiotics, Vitamin C, Cranberry Juice or suppliment, and fresh garlic. Hopefully all you ladies will too find a cure along with myself. Good luck and stay strong there is something out there!
Here is a link to learn more about the specialist (removed link)

[rachel5577]

Hia ladies, im new here but ive just been told that i have Strep B, im not pregnant, but we are trying to get pregnant, i would just like some advice has im in constant pain in my lower tummy, around my kidney area and down below, im sore has hell and its swollen, please any advice would be fantastic, thank you all for reading, Rachel...

[Beaupeep99]

I was just diagnosed yesterday with my second bout of Strep B in four months. This all started in May when I had a severe asthma attack and was put on steroids and cortisone inhalers. Then two weeks after that came down with a UTI that showed e.coli in the urine test. Then a month after that was the first urine test that came back with Strep B (algalactaie) in it. I had also had a Brazilian bikini wax in April before all of this. It was my first and I wonder now if I opened myself up to infection because of it. Last week I felt that I was getting another UTI so went to the doctor immediately and this time he took two cultures in addition to the urine test and it came back Strep B in my vagina. He has prescribed Betadine douche and another round of amoxicillin. But in reading this forum it seems like this is not going to be so easy to get rid of. And now I am getting worried about it and don't know quite what to do.