Well the stick read positive didn’t it? But your test taking doesn’t stop there, it may have just begun. Depending on your medical support professional (primarily comparing doctor vs. midwife), the type of and frequency of prenatal tests can vary greatly. Did you know since it is your body you have the right to refuse any medical procedure? Although there are some tests that are good to take, there are also a lot that can give false or misleading information, can worry you for nothing and can “mark your file” negatively. Let’s go over the most common prenatal tests in this post (go here for information on genetics testing).
At your basic visit (monthly or weekly depending on gestational duration) with your medical support professional, various things shouldbe checked. Blood pressure for one. This one is obviously non-invasive and is important especially in the last trimester to make sure you are not developing hypertension (high blood pressure) which can be an indicator of preeclampsia. Growth is another thing to check. Yours and the baby’s. You will be weighed to check that you are gaining adequate weight for the health of your baby. A fundal height (from the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus) using a measurement tape will also be taken. This can help to indicate issues with the amniotic fluid or position of baby. Urine may be tested regularly as well which monitors sugars and proteins in your body which can suggest diabetes, bladder infection or hypertension. One other regularly checked item is fetal heart tones. A fetoscope or doppler device can listen to the baby’s heartbeat.
Somewhere along the line, you will probably have your blood checked. This could be to establish your blood type, screen for Rh factor (if mom has a -Rh factor and dad has a +Rh factor, baby will be +Rh and mom’s system may create antibodies to fight off baby) check for sexually transmitted diseases (some can be passed to your baby or cause complications during pregnancy and birth).
Near the 20 week gestation mark, it is common to have an ultrasound performed. We will discuss ultrasound in a future post.
A glucose test is performed around 24 to 28 weeks gestation. You ingest a sugar mixture and after an hour, you have your blood sampled. If it is too high, there usually is another test performed and you wait four hours after drinking the sugar mixture. If the glucose level is too high then, they will diagnose you with gestational diabetes. That will be a post unto itself in the future as there is a lot of controversy of this test that can never be reproduced, asks your body to process a large volume of sugar that you would never typically eat and does not have back up statistics to the risks of mother or baby.
Group B Strep (GBS, beta strep) is a bacteria that commonly lives in humans and approximately 25% of women carry it. It is of no harm to mother but it can be a risk (lung, spinal cord or brain infection, meningitis) to your baby at birth. 98-99% of babies born to mothers with group B strep will not contract it if treated (mother recieves antibiotics during labor) at the time of birth. A vaginal and rectal swab is taken around 35-37 weeks gestation.
Cervical exams are invasive and do not provide much information. They should not be a part of routine care as an increased risk of infection occurs with frequency of vaginal exams. Checking effacement and dilation does not indicate when the baby will arrive and just causes anxiety to the mother.
As with any prenatal test/exam, Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE suggests these questions to ask beforehand:
Before you consent to prenatal genetic screenings, you need to ask yourself what would you do with the results. One test may spiral into another and realistically, these tests have an all too high rate of false positive which will cause worry for no reason. The tests can also pose risks to the pregnancy. If the results of testing for genetic abnormalities would not change the course of your pregnancy, then unless you feel you need to prepare mentally in advance, the test might not be worth taking. It is a personal decision but should benefits should be weighed against the risks before you proceed.