How Prenatal Tests Affects Your Health

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High blood pressure, bleeding, obstructed labor, and infections are some of the major causes of mortality and maternal morbidity. All these causes are preventable or manageable only if you, the expectant mother, is visiting your antenatal care provider.

I believe lack of proper information on the importance of antenatal visits and prenatal tests has led to the increase of maternal death and pregnancy-related complications. If you are looking to give birth to a healthy baby, then you should understand why it is important for you to attend at least four antenatal visits.

Is it important to go for your prenatal checkups?

Infact prenatal care begins before conception. Why? You want to prepare your body for the incoming fetus(baby). Your body should be ready to provide all the necessary nutrients to the baby during the pregnancy period.

During the prenatal visits is when your health-caregiver can carry out a series of test and identify any problems and correct them if it is possible. Sometimes we have a lot of questions about our pregnancy and can’t get the right information from our family and friends.

You should ask all the questions related to your pregnancy during the prenatal visits. That way you’ll understand and appreciate every step of your pregnancy journey. By acknowledging your prenatal visits, you become less at risk of pregnancy complications, and your baby is less probably to get fetus or infant complications.

How many times should you go for prenatal checkups?

A healthy pregnancy means less number of prenatal checkups compared to a complicated pregnancy. At the beginning of pregnancy, you might not be frequenting the prenatal clinic, but as you progress towards the end of the pregnancy, the visits become more frequent. Here is an example of what to expect.

Monthly checkups from 8-28 weeks
Twice a month checkups from 28-36 weeks
Weekly checkups from 36 weeks until birth.

In case you have a health concern issue such as

You have a history of pregnancy complication
You had a pre-existing medical condition when you began pregnancy
You are an at-risk age group that is a teen or above 35 years.

What should you expect during a prenatal appointment?

The first visit is always the longest because a series of checkups and examinations are done. You have to be patient as all the procedures, examinations, and checkups are crucial if you are looking into having a healthy pregnancy. Some of the things to expect are

Blood tests
Medical and family history
Checking of vital signs such as blood pressure, weight, and height.
Urine tests
Questions about your lifestyle, if you use alcohol, abuse drugs, smoke, and if you exercise often.

What is included in prenatal care?

There are more than just checkups in prenatal care. Here are some of the care you should expect during the prenatal care process.

Psychological care
Treatment and management of existing and occurring diseases
Prevention of common infectious diseases such as tetanus, malaria, and others.
Nutrition care where you are advised on what to eat. What vitamins to take during the pregnancy period.

Keep your unborn baby and yourself safe by accessing antenatal tests

For your health care provider to better understand how you and your baby are doing. It is important to carry out several medical tests which are also called antenatal tests.

Prenatal tests are done several times throughout the pregnancy period, but these tests might be more if problems are detected. The question is, what do these tests look for?

Combating the problem early

Your health care provider can detect congenital disabilities before or after the pregnancy period. Below are some of the defects that are detected during pregnancy.

HCG should always be at the required level, but sometimes when there is a chromosomal disorder, the levels might be higher or lower than normal.
Excess fluid at the back of the baby’s neck means the baby either has chromosomal or heart disorder.
The levels of 4 proteins (alpha-fetoprotein, estriol, HCG, and inhibin-A) are done to rule out any possibilities of chromosomal disorders or neural tube defects that result in down syndrome.

During the prenatal visits, history is taken, and it is crucial to open up if there’s any health condition running in your family. Some congenital disabilities are genetically acquired, and if the health caregiver is aware of it, it becomes easier to address it appropriately.

What questions should you ask during prenatal checkups?

The moment you know you are pregnant, many questions flood your mind. It is advisable to have a pen and paper in handy so that you can remember each question during your first prenatal visit.

To give you a quick hint here are some of the points you should consider when asking questions,

Nutrition
Tests involved
Weight gain
Exercise
Sex
Complications related to pregnancy
Medication safety
How lifestyle affects pregnancy

Is your pregnancy high risk?

If your pregnancy threatens your health and the health of your unborn child, then that is a high-risk pregnancy. Your pregnancy might be high risk even before the pregnancy or midway after the pregnancy. What variables are used to determine the risk factor of pregnancy?

Weight. According to research conducted by NICHD the risk of heart problem in infant increases by 15% due to obesity. Obesity can also cause high blood pressure, stillbirth, neural tube defects, and cesarean delivery,
Multiple births. Women carrying more than one fetus are at risk of preeclampsia, preterm birth, and premature labor.
Age. Gestational high blood pressure and preeclampsia are associated with teening pregnancy and pregnancy over the age of 35.
A health condition like diabetes, HIV, and high blood pressure.

The prenatal tests you should expect during visits

The tests done during prenatal care are divided into diagnostic and screening.

Screening tests are safe for both you and your unborn baby but don’t give clear information if your child has a health issue.
Diagnostic tests are rarely used, and they are only used when the screening test showed suspicion of a health concern. It isn’t the best since it has risks associated with it like a miscarriage.

How are prenatal tests done?

There are several ways tests are done during prenatal visits, and each will depend on what tests are being done.

Urine tests. The urine is tested for any traces of protein which might indicate possibilities of preeclampsia. Bladder or kidney infection can also be detected in urine.
Blood pressure. The blood pressure results can be used to tell if you have preeclampsia.
Blood test. Anemia, rhesus factor, and sexually transmitted diseases are some of the infections tested during a blood test.

Here are tests carried out in each stage of your pregnancy

First trimester

First screening. It is done between 11-14 weeks of pregnancy. A blood sample is taken to test for any possible risk for birth defects.

Chorionic villus sampling(CVS). Not every pregnant mother takes this test. It is only done if you are the at-risk age group that is above 35 years, there is a history of genetic condition running in the family, or the baby is at risk of congenital disabilities. In this case, a tissue of the placenta is taken for examination.

Carrier screening. At times you might not have a health condition, but when a test is done, you are found to be a carrier of a condition that is a health risk to your fetus. For this type of test, your saliva or blood sample is taken and screened.

Ultrasound. It is used to calculate the weeks of your pregnancy.

Cell-free fetal DNA test. This test is applicable to women who have had a baby with a congenital disability, a congenital disability is detected on an ultrasound, or there’s a pregnancy history of twins/triplets. Your blood sample is taken to determine if the baby has any genetically related conditions.

Second trimester

These tests are commonly done in the 5th, 6th, or 7th month.

Ultrasound. Between 16-20 weeks, the ultrasound is done to check for any health defects and the baby’s progress.

Glucose screening. At 24-28 weeks, the glucose level is measured to rule out gestational diabetes.

Amniocentesis. The baby might develop a birth defect in the second trimester, and this why the amnio test is done to detect any health concerns. This test is usually done between 15-20 weeks of pregnancy.

Blood screening. Four components are measured during this prenatal test, alpha-fetoprotein, inhibin A, estriol, and HCG. It is crucial because you can know if your unborn baby has a risk for birth defects such as Down syndrome and it is commonly done during the 15-22 weeks.

Third trimester

There is a group B strep(GBS) that can be passed to the fetus during the last trimester( 7th, 8th and 9th month). The health caregiver will carry out a test on your cervix to rule out the possibility of GBS. This test is usually done during the 35-37 weeks.

Conclusion

The importance of prenatal checkups is evident and crucial if you are serious about the health of your baby and you. Mortality and morbidity rate will decrease if every pregnant mother will attend to every prenatal visit required by the health care provider.

You can’t take every test that is mentioned here, but you can choose the ones that best suit you as every pregnancy is unique.