fbpx

What tests do I NEED during pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a wonderful time. It is one of the most incredibly things watching your baby grow. It can also be a stressful time for woman. Many pregnant women are worried about both their health and the health of their babies. This is a natural feeling but thanks to reliable technology, many of these risks can be screened for and often prevented.

Many of the tests for the below conditions are non-invasive and involve a blood test, scan or urine test. There are a myriad of tests available but you don’t necessarily need to have them all. Below are some of the conditions that can be picked up with early scanning and some of them are preventable if caught early.Pregnancy Tests|HarassedMom

Gestational diabetes: The healthcare practitioner will screen for gestational diabetes at your first visit through either a urine or blood glucose test.  A follow up test are usually done at 28 weeks.  If gestational diabetes are suspected follow up confirmatory test will be done.

Pre-eclampsia: This needs to be tested for in the 10-13 week of pregnancy and involves a blood test, blood pressure measure, urine test and ultrasound.

Down Syndrome, Trisomy 21,18,13, Cardiac defects, Macrosomia: The test for risk for down syndrome must be done in the first trimester, before 14 weeks. It involves a blood test and ultrasound. This is not a diagnostic test, it is a screening test to assess the risk of carrying a baby with one of these conditions.

Spina Bifida: The screening for spina bifida involves a blood test.

There is a non-invasive biomarker test that can be done in the first trimester, free βhCG and PAPP-A and in the second trimester the triple test can be used to assess the risk of adverse outcomes.

This screening can also identify other outcomes including low birth weight, stillbirth or preterm delivery. If the results of these assessments are more higher than 1:100 then more testing is advised.

Screening for these tests can be stressful but they assess the risk the mother has of developing one of these conditions. Once the mother and health care provider knows the risks they can make the decision to run diagnostic tests and/or whether or not to start preventative treatment.

There have been amazing advancements in technology that includes non-invasive biomarker tests (free βhCG and PAPP-A) which are done in the first trimester. In the second trimester the triple test is done which is AFP,  hCG+β, Estriol) The results of these tests are used to assess the risk of adverse outcomes of your pregnancy. Examples of the conditions that can be picked up are low birth weight, stillbirth and/or pre-term delivery. A patient who has results of 1:100 is considered high risk and more testing is recommended. An intermediate risk is 1:100 – 1:1000 and the recommendation is then free DNA testing as this is the most cost effective and accurate logarithm.

PLEASE NOTE: Discuss all test results with your healthcare professional.

If you are concerned about anything during your pregnancy please contact your health care provider. This post was approved by a health care professional but does not take the place of a diagnosis.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. 

If you enjoyed this post please share with your friends! You can also find me on TwitterFacebookInstagram, Pinterest and Snapchat (harassedmom) and don’t forget to subscribe to my weekly newsletter.

HarassedMom

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

2 Responses

  1. Hi which healthy care in Durban can assist me.Am 15wèeks i done the altrasound last week. plz I’m worried.

  2. I is so important to attend prenatal appointments while pregnant. I was 38 when I fell pregnant (by choice). I had to have a few additional tests due to my age, plus I was on the overweight side. 🙂 I’m so glad my gynie tested my urine and took my blood pressure and did a scan with every visit. My pregnancy was relatively stress-free and I kept myself calm throughout. It was only at the very end, just before my due date that I developed preeclampsia. I had an emergency C-section and I had a healthy baby boy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Social Media

Most Popular

Get The Latest Updates

Subscribe To My Weekly Newsletter

In my weekly newsletter I share a behind the scenes snippets into our life.

Categories

Keep Reading

Related Posts