diff --git a/src/ffi.rs b/src/ffi.rs
index 1351076..7706cc3 100644
--- a/src/ffi.rs
+++ b/src/ffi.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,38 @@
 use mpz::*;
+use std::{mem, slice, str};
+use libc::{c_char, strlen};
+
+type AllocFunc = extern "C" fn(usize) -> *mut c_char;
+type ReallocFunc = extern "C" fn(*mut c_char, usize, usize) -> *mut c_char;
+type FreeFunc = extern "C" fn(*mut c_char, usize);
 
 #[link(name = "gmp")]
 extern "C" {
     pub fn __gmpz_fdiv_q(q: mpz_ptr, n: mpz_srcptr, d: mpz_srcptr);
     pub fn __gmpz_cdiv_q(q: mpz_ptr, n: mpz_srcptr, d: mpz_srcptr);
+    pub fn __gmp_get_memory_functions(alloc: *mut AllocFunc, relloc: *mut ReallocFunc, free: *mut FreeFunc);
+}
+
+pub struct GString(*mut u8, usize);
+
+impl GString {
+    pub unsafe fn from_raw(raw: *mut c_char) -> GString {
+        GString(raw as *mut u8, strlen(raw) as usize + 1)
+    }
+
+    pub fn to_str(&self) -> Result<&str, str::Utf8Error> {
+        let bytes: &[u8] = unsafe { slice::from_raw_parts(self.0, self.1) };
+        str::from_utf8(&bytes[..bytes.len() - 1])
+    }
+}
+
+impl Drop for GString {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        use std::ptr::null_mut;
+        unsafe {
+            let mut free_func: FreeFunc = mem::uninitialized();
+            __gmp_get_memory_functions(null_mut(), null_mut(), &mut free_func);
+            free_func(self.0 as *mut c_char, self.1);
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/mpf.rs b/src/mpf.rs
index a5f7108..301a08a 100644
--- a/src/mpf.rs
+++ b/src/mpf.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-use libc::{c_double, c_int, c_long, c_ulong, c_void,c_char};
+use libc::{c_double, c_int, c_long, c_ulong, c_void, c_char, strlen};
 use std::mem::uninitialized;
-use std::cmp;
+use std::{cmp, str};
 use std::cmp::Ordering::{self, Greater, Less, Equal};
 use std::ops::{Div, DivAssign, Mul, MulAssign, Add, AddAssign, Sub, SubAssign, Neg};
 use std::ffi::CString;
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use super::mpz::{Mpz, mpz_srcptr};
 use super::mpq::{Mpq, mpq_srcptr};
 use super::sign::Sign;
 use num_traits::{Zero, One};
+use ffi::GString;
 
 type mp_exp_t = c_long;
 
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
     fn __gmpf_set_str(rop: mpf_ptr, str: *const c_char, base: c_int);
     fn __gmpf_set_si(rop: mpf_ptr, op: c_long);
-    fn __gmpf_get_str(str: *const c_char, expptr: *const mp_exp_t, base: i32, n_digits: i32, op: mpf_ptr) -> *mut c_char;
+    fn __gmpf_get_str(str: *mut c_char, expptr: *const mp_exp_t, base: i32, n_digits: i32, op: mpf_srcptr) -> *mut c_char;
 
     fn __gmpf_cmp(op1: mpf_srcptr, op2: mpf_srcptr) -> c_int;
     fn __gmpf_cmp_d(op1: mpf_srcptr, op2: c_double) -> c_int;
@@ -119,13 +120,27 @@ impl Mpf {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn get_str(&mut self, n_digits: i32, base: i32, exp: &mut c_long) -> String{
-        let c_str = CString::new("").unwrap();
-        let out;
-        unsafe{
-            out = CString::from_raw(__gmpf_get_str(c_str.into_raw(), exp, base, n_digits, &mut self.mpf));
+    /// For values of zero, this will return an empty string.
+    pub fn get_str(&self, n_digits: i32, base: i32, exp: &mut c_long) -> String {
+        use std::ptr::null_mut;
+        if n_digits == 0 {
+            // Maximal significant digits requested. Let GMP compute the length
+            // and allocate the space required.
+            unsafe {
+                let p = __gmpf_get_str(null_mut(), exp, base, n_digits, &self.mpf);
+                // De-allocates the GMP string on drop.
+                GString::from_raw(p).to_str().unwrap().to_string()
+            }
+        } else {
+            unsafe {
+                // n_digits + 2 from mpf/get_str.c.
+                let mut bytes: Vec<u8> = vec![0; n_digits as usize + 2];
+                let c_str: *mut c_char = bytes.as_mut_ptr() as *mut c_char;
+                __gmpf_get_str(c_str, exp, base, n_digits, &self.mpf);
+                // Don't include null bytes.
+                String::from(str::from_utf8(&bytes[..strlen(c_str)]).unwrap())
+            }
         }
-        out.to_str().unwrap().to_string()
     }
 
     pub fn abs(&self) -> Mpf {
diff --git a/src/test.rs b/src/test.rs
index 3af1382..a264c1e 100644
--- a/src/test.rs
+++ b/src/test.rs
@@ -713,4 +713,16 @@ mod mpf {
         assert_eq!(five.sign(), Sign::Positive);
         assert_eq!(minus_five.sign(), Sign::Negative);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_get_str() {
+        use libc::c_long;
+        let mut tmp = 0 as c_long;
+        let mut pi: Mpf = Mpf::zero();
+        assert_eq!(pi.get_str(4, 10, &mut tmp), "");
+        pi.set_from_str("3.141592653589", 10);
+
+        assert_eq!(&pi.get_str(4, 10, &mut tmp), "3142");
+        assert_eq!((-&pi).get_str(4, 10, &mut tmp), "-3142");
+    }
 }