Our medical advisers do not recommend induction for anyone as a way of combating GBS infection in babies. Carrying GBS, or your baby being at raised risk of GBS infection is not a reason to be induced.
If you are known to carry GBS and your waters break before labour starts, you should be offered immediate induction plus intravenous antibiotics because of the increased risk of early-onset GBS infection developing in babies after prolonged rupture of membranes.
If you live a long way from the hospital or have a history of very fast labours, induction may be one way to try and ensure you get sufficient intravenous antibiotics before your baby is born.
Induction is not without risk itself, especially before the due date. You should discuss the potential risks and benefits of induction with your obstetrician because they will vary dependent upon your personal circumstances.
If you are to be induced, the recommended intravenous antibiotics should be started as soon as possible once labour has started or waters have broken (naturally or artificially) and should be repeated at regular intervals (4-hourly for penicillin) until your baby is born, and ideally the first dose will have been given at least 4 hours before the baby is born.
