strep infection and PANDAS

I just came from an ADHD, OCD and Tourette's conference (I'm a social worker
for kids with mental illness), and the speaker talked a little about PANDAS,
which stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated
with Streptococcal Infections. Basically, the idea is that newborns or
children who get strep, even if asymptomatic, may tend to get OCD, anxiety,
depression, etc. She made the statement that all pregnant women should be
screened for strep at 8 months, and treated with antibiotics. Further, she
stated that even if the woman then tests "clear" after treated for pos
strep, she should not have a vaginal birth (a bit extreme, I thought), but
if she did have a vaginal birth, it is still important to treat the baby
with antibiotics afterward (I thought a good point). Plus, kids should have
the strep culture done even if the "quick test" shows negative since it's
not always reliable, and kids don't always seem sick with strep. I just
thought mkp folks might be interested in the strep/psychiatric illness link,
since it was news to me!

Another note from the conference: she recommends that all pregnant or ttc
women have their mercury levels checked since it can vary from woman to
woman even with the same diet. If mercury is too high, flax seed oil can
help get it out of your system.

Who knew?
Amy
ttc #1