What are the routine tests during pregnancy?

Routine tests

Prenatal tests are the tests that you and your baby receive during your pregnancy. They allow doctors and health care providers to learn about how the baby is doing before birth, and how the mother is doing during pregnancy.

Certain prenatal tests, for instance blood tests, urine tests and blood pressure checks are routine—meaning all pregnant women do them. Others, like amniocentesis, are not done routinely; instead they are carried out only if you or your baby is at increased risk of certain problems.

During the first prenatal visit, your health care provider checks your blood and urine for the following:

• Conditions that can harm your baby (for instance, hepatitis B, syphilis and possibly some sexually transmitted infections). You'll be offered a test to check if you carry HIV.
• Antibodies indicating your immunity to rubella (German measles) and chickenpox, both of which could cause birth defects if the mother gets infected for the first time during pregnancy.
• Anemia (low number of red blood cell), that can cause you to feel extremely tired and increase risk of preterm delivery.
• Your blood type, including whether you carry a protein called Rh factor on red blood cells. Women lacking the Rh factor are said to be Rh negative and need treatment to protect the babies from a potentially dangerous blood problem.
• Bacteria in urine. Up to 10% of pregnant women have bacteria in their urine, which indicates urinary tract infection. Majorities have no symptoms, but even a symptom less urinary tract infection can spread upwards to kidneys, where it poses a serious risk to mother and baby. Antibiotics that are safe for the mother as well as the baby are used for treating urinary tract infections.
• Sugar in urine. This could be a sign of diabetes. Additional tests may be suggested if your urine has if sugar shows up in urine.
• Protein in urine. This indicates a possible urinary tract infection or, later in pregnancy, a pregnancy-related condition which includes high blood pressure. Additional tests may be suggested if your urine has protein in it.

What diseases are regularly tested for even during a normal pregnancy?

Some of the conditions routinely checked for in most normal pregnancies are Down's syndrome, AIDS, Hepatitis B, Neural Tube Defects, Rh Incompatibility and Rubella. The doctor can test for all these conditions with blood samples, although taken at different times in pregnancy.

When should I be worried about congenital diseases?

Your baby has a higher chance of having congenital disease if he falls in any of the 3 reasons given below. Note that there can be many other reasons for congenital diseases.

• Congenital diseases in previous baby
• History of congenital anomalies in family, likely to be repeated
• Maternal age is over 35, then there is higher chance of the baby getting Down's syndrome

Can birth defects be detected with regular blood tests?

Studies show that 90 % of birth defects cannot be detected from prenatal blood tests. In order to isolate remaining 10 % of the identifiable birth defects, there are 4 main types of tests: amniocentesis, chorionic villi sampling, certain blood tests such as Alphafeto-Protein (AFP) test, and ultrasound scans.

What does each of the diagnostic tests tell the doctor?

There are various conditions/diseases that a doctor can identify by conducting different diagnostic tests during pregnancy. These tests can indicate possibility of birth defects in fetus or conditions in the mother's health which may lead to problem pregnancies. Once a potential problem is detected, appropriate steps can be taken in order to deal with it.