Prenatal Testing is an Important Part of Every Successful Pregnancy

Most women who are pregnant have one goal in mind - that of giving birth to a healthy baby. Prenatal testing not only can detect the health of the baby but also can help her to make decisions that can increase the chances for her baby to be born healthy. The pregnant woman will be informed of many prenatal tests by her healthcare provider caring for her pregnancy including general testing, testing that is specific to first trimester, second trimester, third trimester, and specific to genetics.

The most common general pregnancy testing includes blood and urine testing, Rh Factor testing, paternity testing, and ultrasound scans. The first trimester specific testing includes Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) testing and the first trimester screen. The second trimester testing includes an amniocentesis, Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein screening (MSAFP), cordocentesis: Percutaneous Umbilical Blood Sampling (PUBS), the quad screen, and the triple screen test: multiple marker screen test. The third trimester testing includes the biophysical profile (BPP), the glucose challenge screening & glucose tolerance test (NST), the fetal non-stress test (NST), and finally, the group B strep infection test.

General Testing:

The blood test is used to discover your blood type, your Rh factor, your glucose, iron, and hemoglobin levels and to find out if you are immune to rubella and also to see if you test positive to any sexually transmitted diseases that may affect your pregnancy or your unborn baby. Blood tests can also detect possible infections, such as toxoplasmosis, which is dangerous for pregnant women.

It is important to test your urine to catch any bladder or kidney infections, to discover or control diabetes, to check for dehydration and the presence of preeclampsia and to look for higher than normal levels of protein which can signal danger to the pregnancy from infections or preeclampsia if the woman also has high blood pressure. Urine testing is also used to detect or confirm the pregnancy at the first prenatal visit.

It is important to test for Rh factor because if the mother is Rh-negative and the father of the baby is Rh-positive, the baby can have the Rh factor from the father and be Rh-positive too which will then cause problems when the baby's Rh-positive blood and the mother's Rh-negative blood interact within the placenta during uterine life. This can cause hemolytic disease or hemolytic anemia in the baby, which can threaten the life of the baby. If not tested for and it is present the baby can suffer serious illness, brain damage, or even die before birth or as a newborn. An injection or Rh immunoglobulin (Rhlg), which is a blood product that can prevent the sensitization of an Rh-negative mother, can be given to prevent these complications.

Paternity testing is done to determine who the father of the baby is if the woman had more than one sexual partner and the paternity is in question.

Ultrasound scans are performed to date the pregnancy, or to ascertain the health of the pregnancy or baby.

First Trimester, second trimester and third trimester testing is determined based on the health of the mother, the age of the mother, the health of the mother and the need to test for challenges faced by the mother or baby. The healthcare provider caring for the pregnancy will discuss the benefits and risks of each procedure with the pregnant woman so that she can make an informed decision regarding each test. She will be guided by the medical advice given to her and she can of course ask for a second opinion before consenting to testing that is invasive in nature such as the amniocentesis.

© 2008 Pregnancy Guide - All Rights Reserved.
▪ Pregnancy
◦ stage of pregnancy
▪ Early Pregnancy
◦ 1-3 weeks
◦ 4 weeks
◦ 5 weeks
◦ 6 weeks
◦ 7 weeks
◦ 8 weeks
◦ 9 weeks
◦ 10 weeks
◦ 11 Weeks
◦ 12 weeks
▪ Pregnancy Symptom
◦ First Signs of Pregnancy
◦ Early Pregnancy Symptoms
◦ Pregnancy Symptoms Week by Week
◦ Unusual Pregnancy Symptoms
◦ Sign of Pregnancy
▪ Teen Pregnancy
◦ Teen Pregnancy Statistics
◦ Teenage Pregnancies
◦ Teen Pregnancy Facts
◦ Teen Pregnancy Prevention
◦ Teen Pregnancy Help
◦ Unplanned Teen Pregnancy
▪ Pregnancy Test
◦ Early Pregnancy Test
◦ Home Pregnancy Test
◦ Free Pregnancy Test
◦ Best Pregnancy Test
◦ Pregnancy Test Result
◦ Digital Pregnancy Test
▪ Finding Support Through Pregnancy Forums
▪ How To Predict Ovulation
▪ Pregnancy Calculator
▪ Pregnancy Diet
◦ Pregnancy Diet Plan
◦ Post Pregnancy Diet
◦ Pre Pregnancy Diet
◦ Early Pregnancy Diet
◦ Diet Before Pregnancy
◦ Best Diet for Pregnancy
◦ How to Eat for A Healthy Pregnancy
◦ Foods to Avoid While Pregnant
◦ Caffeine and Pregnancy
▪ Healthy Pregnancy
◦ Healthy Pregnancy Diet
◦ Healthy Eating During Pregnancy
◦ How To Have A Healthy Pregnancy
◦ Healthy Pregnancy Weight Gain
◦ Healthy Nutrition Pregnancy
▪ Common skin conditions during pregnancy:
▪ Pregnancy Exercise
◦ Prenatal Yoga
◦ Prenatal Fitness
◦ Exercise After Pregnancy
◦ Exercise While Pregnant
◦ Exercise For Pregnant Women
◦ Great Exercises for Pregnancy
▪ Morning Sickness During Pregnancy
▪ Pregnancy and Nutrition
▪ Eating Well For You During Your Pregnancy
▪ Eating Right During Your Pregnancy
▪ Staying Fit During Your Pregnancy
▪ Pregnancy Weight Gain
▪ How Eating Well Can Help During Pregnancy
▪ Healthy weight gain for pregnancy
▪ Pregnancy: Dietary Precautions
▪ Nutrition and Exercise
▪ Role of Omega 3
▪ Exercise During Pregnancy
▪ Pregnancy: Handy Tips
▪ Health Issues
▪ Things To Be Avoided
▪ Common Complications
▪ Risks After Age 40
▪ Effects of Chronic Diseases
▪ Pregnancy dress
◦ The Survival Kit For Pregnancy Dresses
◦ Why Cotton Is The Preferred Pregnancy Fabric
◦ Pregnancy Dresses That Balance Style With Substance
◦ Pregnancy Dresses And Your Shopping Habits
◦ Pregnancy Dresses In Denim Are Stylish And Comfortable
◦ Save Big Bucks On Your Pregnancy Dresses
▪ Baby foods
◦ Is Organic Food Good For Your Baby?
◦ Food Allergies
◦ When To Switch To Solid Food
◦ Introducing Fish To Your Baby
◦ Include Eggs In baby Foods
◦ Tips for Making Baby Foods
◦ Getting Your Baby To Eat Foods
◦ Risks of Choking
◦ Getting Your Baby To Eat Vegetables
▪ Newborn Care
◦ Benefits of Breastfeeding
◦ Biodegradable Diapers
◦ Preparing For Your Newborn
◦ Measures To Be Taken For New Born
◦ Helping Your Newborn's Cold
◦ Do's and Don't's For New Born
◦ Dealing With Cranky Babies
◦ Avoiding Skin Rashes
◦ Guidance for Parents
◦ Products for Your Newborn
◦ Dealing with Colic
◦ Keeping Baby's Weight Up
◦ Soothing Baby With Music
◦ Getting Baby To Sleep
◦ Necessary Vaccinations
◦ Suitable Toys
◦ Caring for the First Cold
◦ When To Call A Doctor
◦ When To Wean Baby
▪ Common Pregnancy Discomforts Explored
▪ Experiencing Pregnancy Loss and Understanding Why It Happens
▪ Bodily Changes During Pregnancy
▪ Birthing Choice a Major Decision in Pregnancy
▪ Facing The Challenges of Being Pregnant After Age 35
▪ Pregnant and Over 40
▪ Getting Pregnant May Not Always Be Easy
▪ Getting Your Other Children Excited about Your Pregnancy
▪ Guidelines for Preventing Pregnancy
▪ Have a Successful Conception
▪ Important Things to Know When Pregnant with Multiples
▪ Infertility A Male Female Problem
▪ Info You Can Use On Ectopic Pregnancy
▪ Knowing That You Are Pregnant
▪ Physical Changes and Symptoms To Expect During Pregnancy
▪ Pregnancy is full of decisions
▪ Prenatal Testing is an Important Part of Every Successful Pregnancy
▪ Preparing for Your Little One
▪ Preterm Labor A Pregnancy Complication
▪ Preventing Teen Pregnancy
▪ Special Situations During Pregnancy
▪ Staying Fit and healthy During Your Pregnancy
▪ Staying Fit While Pregnant
▪ Staying Safe During Disasters While Pregnant
▪ The Common Discomforts of Pregnancy
▪ Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy
▪ Trusting in Home Pregnancy Tests
▪ Trying to Get Pregnant and Experiencing Infertility
▪ What Are The Problems That Can Develop During Pregnancy?
▪ What Causes Vaginal Bleeding During Pregnancy?
▪ What Kind of Pregnancy Problems Can A Woman Encounter?
▪ What To Avoid During Pregnancy for the Health of Mom and Baby
▪ What to do if You Are Unexpectedly Pregnant
▪ What to Expect the Last Few Weeks of Pregnancy
▪ Why is an Ultrasound Used During Pregnancy?
▪ You Can Stay Fit During Pregnancy
▪ You Are Pregnant and in Labor or Are You?
▪ Birthing choices midwife
▪ Complications you may face when you have a multiples pregnancy
▪ Fitness and staying well during pregnancy
▪ Getting the scoop on illegal drug usage while pregnant
▪ Is Caffeine Safe During Pregnancy?
▪ Pregnancy Testing What To Expect
▪ Safe Traveling While Pregnant
▪ pregnancy
◦ Pregnancy calendar
◦ Chinese pregnancy calendar
◦ Week by week pregnancy calendar
◦ Free pregnancy calendar
◦ Interactive pregnancy calendar
◦ Online pregnancy calendar
▪ Pregnancy symptoms
◦ Early pregnancy symptoms
◦ Tubal pregnancy symptoms
◦ Unusual pregnancy symptoms
◦ Common pregnancy symptoms
◦ Third trimester pregnancy symptoms
◦ Possible pregnancy symptoms
▪ Pregnancy calculator
◦ Pregnancy due date calculator
◦ Pregnancy weight calculator
◦ Free pregnancy calculator
◦ Pregnancy ovulation calculator
◦ Pregnancy trimester calculator
◦ Pregnancy nutrition calculator
▪ Personal Care of Health After Delivery
▪ Site Map
 
 
  pregnancy