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AM I PREGNANT? - Pregnancy tests-II - January 2009.
(Last month’s Newsletter was about Pregnacy tests for confirmation.Click here to go over it again. Now read on..)
Once your pregnancy is confirmed your doctor will order for blood & other tests. Some of these are routine tests while others may be ordered based on the associated medical condition. You may be wondering why these tests are ordered & what do the results mean?
These tests are designed to ensure all is well with you and your baby's health. Most pregnant women have normal test results. In a few, tests are abnormal. In these cases further assessment and/or treatment is offered to prevent serious problems
Blood Tests:
Hemoglobin Estimation.
During pregnancy the hemoglobin level falls down by about 1%. It is customary to note the level when you go in for the first visit. If there is a low level corrective measures like iron supplementation, dietary modification will be advised. It is very common in our country to find women with very low levels of hemoglobin (better known as anemia). Anemia has several negative impacts on the pregnancy- some of them being: low birth weight of the baby, preterm labor & poor wound healing after delivery.
Iron deficiency is the commonest cause of anemia. Some women have other reasons for anemia. Since poor nutrition is commonly seen in our country we generally use iron pills to correct the deficiency. If there is no improvement additional tests will be ordered to find out and treat other causes of anemia.
Blood group & Rh factor typing:
There are 4 different blood groups: A, B, AB & O. Blood test will diagnose your blood group. Knowing the blood group helps to give you a transfusion, which matches your own blood in case you bleed a lot after delivery.
More important than the blood group is the Rh factor typing. A person can be either Rh positive or Rh negative. This test is important because problems may arise if the mother's blood does not have the Rh factor (Rh - ) and the baby's blood does(Rh +). You may form anti-D antibodies in your bloodstream. These are not dangerous in the first pregnancy, but can attack the blood cells of a baby who is Rh D positive in any future pregnancy. But there is no need to panic. You will be given anti D injection if your baby is Rh positive to prevent the complications.
HIV, HbsAg & VDRL/RPR:
All pregnant women are screened for AIDS, hepatitis B & syphilis. These diseases can be transmitted to the baby & cause harm. A positive result does not mean that the pregnancy has to be terminated. Instead the woman will receive drugs to reduce the transmission of the disease to the fetus.
Rubella status:
This test checks for antibodies to rubella. German measles can seriously damage the fetus. Ideally this test needs to be done prior to pregnancy. If the test is negative you need to be immunized. If the test is negative after the onset of pregnancy you need to keep away from anyone who may have been infected.
Blood Glucose:
The level of sugar in your blood is measured to test for diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not make enough insulin or does not use it, as it should. Diabetes during pregnancy increases the risk of a large baby, birth defects in the baby, risk of caesarian section and traumatic delivery. With good control of diabetes the complications are much less common. In most cases, a special diet and exercise is all that is needed. Sometimes medication will be used.
For this test, you drink a special sugar mixture. An hour later, a blood sample is drawn from your arm and sent to a lab. This is called as glucose screening test & is done later in pregnancy.
Urine test:
Urine will be tested at each prenatal visit. This test checks the levels of sugar and protein. If there is a high level of sugar in the urine you will be tested further to find out if there is diabetes. Protein in the urine may be a sign of a urinary tract infection, kidney disease, or high blood pressure that occurs in late pregnancy. The urine test also is used to check for infections of the bladder and kidneys. If these problems occur, they can be treated.
Cervical Tests
A Pap test may be done to check for changes of the cervix that could lead to cancer.
This test is not done routinely in our country. In most of the developed countries cancer screening is done.
Apart from all the tests mentioned above we do offer some special tests – these are prenatal tests for assessing the fetal well being & to rule out abnormalities in the baby that are incompatible with life.
Enjoy your pregnancy, but do take care of your precious gift of nature.
Be healthy; be well informed.
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