Pregnancy – early symptoms,stages and labor signs

Archive for the ‘Medical tests’ Category

Are you a first time pregnant mother, or perhaps you haven’t had a baby in quite a few years?  Finding out that you are pregnant can be stressful and exciting enough without having to worry about such things as the baby’s health.  This is why it is important to seek prenatal testing as soon as you find out that you are pregnant.  What this does is allow for the doctors to give your health condition an overall look, and determine if you and the baby are healthy.  Let’s take a look at what types of prenatal tests you can expect.

Although most prenatal tests are performed towards the beginning of your pregnancy, there are still many more that happen throughout till the end.  But the first thing that a doctor will check is the over all health of the mother.  These tests look at her blood pressure, weight, medical history, as well as blood and urine tests.  The urine tests are what doctors use to check during prenatal tests and see if you may have gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and any other bladder infections.  Furthermore, the blood pressure checks will help the doctor determine if there are any blood pressure problems that may require a secondary birth plan.

And when your doctor checks your blood itself, he or she is looking to see if you have any problems like Rh negative disease, anemia, or if you may have any STD’s that will effect your baby and/or delivery.  And finally, another of the first few tests will involve a vaginal pap and smear test to see if you have any bacteria, cervical cells that seem abnormal, and they will check for any STD’s that may not present with a blood test.  Further blood tests also look for hormones and AFP screening during prenatal testing.

As you can see, blood tests show your doctor a lot about your body and your baby.  And because your hormones tend to go crazy during pregnancy, they need to check certain levels like your human chorionic gonadotropin hormone.  If they find that this hormone is high in your body, it could mean that your baby is at risk for Down syndrome, and a low level can mean that you have an ectopic, or rather, tubal pregnancy.  Moreover, two other blood tests called AFP and alphafetoprotein tests look for your AFP, hCG, and estridol levels as part of the prenatal tests.  The reason for this is to ensure that your baby isn’t experiencing any neural tube defects that could turn into spina bifida or Down syndrome.

The next prenatal test is more popular with all the expecting parents.  We are talking about the ultrasound, which is commonly done at least once during the pregnancy, and more often with complicated pregnancies.  During this procedure your doctor will check the development of your baby, and look for any other health issues or abnormalities that may be present. What’s more, often times the doctor can even check for the sex of the baby.

And finally, the prenatal test that most mothers dread is the amniocentesis.  This prenatal test is more commonly used on women that become pregnant over the age of 35, or those women that have certain family disorders that get passed down.  The way that this test is performed is by taking a small amount of amniotic fluid from your uterus.

However, if the need to test for the conditions diagnosed through this method come up early on in the pregnancy, or if there is not enough amniotic fluid for the test, an alternate test is given.  For this test, the doctor will take a sample of fetal blood from the umbilical cord.  This type of test is called chorionic villus, and can detect other problems with your fetus like low oxygen levels or fetal anemia.  It is for these reasons and more that ensuring you have the right medical attention early on in your pregnancy is very important.

There are also additional prenatal tests that are gaining popularity which are prenatal genetic testing,prenatal genetic testing and prenatal dna testing.

The most important thing to remember during pregnancy is that the obstetrician or commonly known as pregnancy doctor works for you and your baby, not the other way around.  And this is why it is very crucial to feel comfortable at all times talking to your pregnancy doctor and making requests, especially since this is a very intimate and personal relationship that must feel right for you.  In addition, there are other factors that you may want to think about before choosing the right OB/GYN(abbreviated as obstetrics and gynecology) for your pregnancy checkup.

For instance, some women feel more comfortable with a pregnancy doctor that has a small and intimate practice, while others prefer the busyness and companionship that can come from a big office full of other pregnant women.  This is why it is important to take into account the environment that surrounds the pregnancy doctor.  Furthermore, knowing which birth plan options are out there for you is very important. There are also women who prefer midwife to a pregnancy doctor. But that’s another whole topic and will be addressed later on our website.

Although some women know exactly what they want when it comes to how they will deliver, many first time moms do not have the first clue in what there is to offer them.  This is where you will want to talk to your prospective pregnancy doctor about pregnancy to see what he has to offer you.  There is nothing worse than wanting one type of birth experience and being forced into another at the last minute.  Just remember that unless there is a medical reason for not getting what you want during your pregnancy check up with the doctor, then you need to stand firm with your beliefs.

But for those that may have medical risks involved with their pregnancies, then they also must take that into consideration when choosing the right pregnancy doctor.  It is important for you to know that your obstetrician is experienced at handling your sort of problem, and that they are there for you when you need them.

The need for increased observation during pregnancy can stem from getting pregnant later than 35 years of age, having a history of miscarriages or other problematic pregnancies, having or have had an STD, suffering from diabetes or a history of gestational diabetes during pregnancies, and many other reasons why your pregnancy may be considered high risk.  Just feel confident about making sure that the pregnancy doctor you choose will be able to suite your needs.