Hepatitis is a virus that infects the liver. Pregnant women who are infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C can pass the virus to their fetuses. All pregnant women should be tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection. If you are infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C, you might need special care during pregnancy. Your baby also may need special care after birth. You can breastfeed if you have either infection. A vaccine is available to protect the baby against hepatitis B.
The vaccine is given as a series of three shots, with the first dose given to the baby within a few hours of birth. STIs can cause complications for you and your fetus. All pregnant women are tested for syphilis and chlamydia early in pregnancy. Tests for these infections may be repeated later in pregnancy if you have certain risk factors. You will also be tested for gonorrhea if you are 25 or younger or you live in an area where gonorrhea is common. If you have an STI, you will be treated during pregnancy and tested again to see if the treatment has worked.
Your sex partner or partners also should be treated. If you have HIV, there is a chance you could pass it to your fetus.
While you are pregnant, you can take medication that can greatly reduce the risk of passing HIV to your fetus. You also can get specialized care to ensure that you stay as healthy as possible throughout your pregnancy. See HIV and Pregnancy to learn more. Women at high risk of TB should be tested for it. Those at high risk include people who are infected with HIV or who live in close contact with someone who has TB.
The tests done later in pregnancy include glucose screening and group B streptococcus GBS screening. This test measures the level of glucose, or sugar, in your blood. A high blood sugar level may be a sign of gestational diabetes , which can cause problems during pregnancy. For this test, you drink a special sugar mixture. An hour later, a blood sample is taken and sent to a lab. If your blood sugar level is high, you will have another type of glucose test to confirm the results.
This test usually is done between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. This test might be done in the first trimester of pregnancy if you have risk factors for diabetes or had gestational diabetes in a past pregnancy. GBS is one of the many bacteria that live in the body. It usually does not cause serious illness in adults, and it is not an STI. In women, GBS most often is found in the vagina and rectum. This means that GBS can pass from a pregnant woman to her fetus during labor.
This is rare and happens to 1 or 2 babies out of when the mother does not receive treatment with antibiotics during labor. The chance of a newborn getting sick is much lower when the mother receives treatment. Even though it is rare for a baby to get GBS, it can be very serious when it happens. A small number of babies with GBS die even with immediate treatment. The test for GBS is called a culture.
It is done between 36 and 38 weeks of pregnancy. For this test, a swab is used to take a sample from the vagina and rectum. If the results show that GBS is present, most women will receive antibiotics through an intravenous IV line once labor has started. This is done to help protect the fetus from being infected. The best time for treatment is during labor. See Group B Strep and Pregnancy to learn more. Screening for birth defects begins by assessing your risk factors.
Early in your pregnancy, your obstetrician—gynecologist ob-gyn may give you a list of questions to find out whether you have risk factors. If you do have risk factors, you might want to see a genetic counselor for more detailed information about your risks. Most babies with birth defects are born to couples without risk factors. But the risk of birth defects is higher when certain factors are present.
Risk factors include. When done during pregnancy, screening tests assess the risk that the fetus has certain common birth defects. A screening test cannot tell whether the fetus actually has a birth defect. There is no risk to the fetus from screening tests. Diagnostic tests can detect many, but not all, birth defects caused by defects in a gene or chromosomes.
Diagnostic testing may be done instead of screening if a couple has a family history of a birth defect, belongs to a certain ethnic group, or already has a child with a birth defect. Diagnostic tests also are available as a first choice for all pregnant women, including those who do not have risk factors. Cystic fibrosis. Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Hemophilia A. Polycystic kidney disease.
Sickle cell disease. Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling withdrawing a small sample of the fetal blood from the umbilical cord. While some birth defects can be prevented through prenatal care, it's important to know what treatments may exist if your fetus is diagnosed with a birth defect. Screening tests may be used alone or with other tests. Ultrasound for fetal nuchal translucency.
Nuchal translucency screening uses an ultrasound to examine the area at the back of the fetal neck for increased fluid or thickening. Ultrasound for fetal nasal bone determination. The nasal bone may not be visualized in some babies with certain chromosome abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. This screen is performed using an ultrasound between 11 and 13 weeks gestation. Maternal serum blood tests. These blood tests measure two substances found in the blood of all pregnant women:.
Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A. A protein produced by the placenta in early pregnancy. Abnormal levels are associated with an increased risk of chromosomal abnormality. Human chorionic gonadotropin. A hormone produced by the placenta in early pregnancy. When used together as first trimester screening tests, nuchal translucency screening and maternal blood tests have a greater ability to determine if the fetus might have a birth defect, such as Down syndrome trisomy 21 and trisomy If the results of these first trimester screening tests are abnormal, genetic counseling is recommended.
Additional testing, such as chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, cell-free fetal DNA or other ultrasounds, may be needed for an accurate diagnosis. These markers provide information about your potential risk of having a baby with certain genetic conditions or birth defects. Screening is usually done by taking a sample of your blood between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy 16 to 18 weeks is ideal.
The multiple markers include:. AFP screening. AFP is a protein normally produced by the fetal liver that is present in the fluid surrounding the fetus amniotic fluid. It crosses the placenta and enters your blood.
Abnormal levels of AFP may indicate:. Open neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. Twins more than one fetus is producing the protein. This is a hormone produced by the placenta. It can be measured in maternal blood or urine to be used to determine fetal health. Abnormal test results of AFP and other markers may mean that additional testing is needed. An ultrasound is used to confirm the milestones of your pregnancy and to check the fetal spine and other body parts for defects.
An amniocentesis may be needed for an accurate diagnosis. Since multiple marker screening is not diagnostic, it is not percent accurate. It helps determine who in the population should be offered additional testing during pregnancy. False-positive results may indicate a problem when the fetus is actually healthy. On the other hand, false-negative results indicate a normal result when the fetus actually does have a health problem. When you have both first and second trimester screening tests performed, the ability of the tests to detect an abnormality is greater than using just one screening independently.
Most cases of Down syndrome can be detected when both first and second trimester screenings are used. An ultrasound scan is a diagnostic technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the internal organs. A screening ultrasound is sometimes done during the course of your pregnancy to check normal fetal growth and verify the due date. To diagnose an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. Two types of ultrasounds can be performed during pregnancy:.
Abdominal ultrasound. In an abdominal ultrasound, gel is applied to your abdomen. The ultrasound transducer glides over the gel on the abdomen to create the image. Transvaginal ultrasound. In a transvaginal ultrasound, a smaller ultrasound transducer is inserted into your vagina and rests against the back of the vagina to create an image. A transvaginal ultrasound produces a sharper image than an abdominal ultrasound and is often used in early pregnancy.
There are several types of ultrasound imaging techniques. As the most common type, the 2-D ultrasound provides a flat picture of one aspect of the baby. If more information is needed, a 3-D ultrasound exam can be done. This technique, which provides a 3-D picture, requires a special machine and special training. The 3-D image allows the health care provider to see the width, height and depth of the images, which can be helpful during the diagnosis.
The 3-D images can also be captured and saved for later review. The latest technology is 4-D ultrasound, which allows the health care provider to visualize the unborn baby moving in real time. These images often have a golden color, which helps show shadows and highlights. Gestational diabetes GDM is a type of diabetes that affects some women during pregnancy. Diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose sugar in the blood. In most cases, gestational diabetes develops in the third trimester after 28 weeks and usually disappears after the baby is born.
However, women who develop gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Rhesus antibodies Rh Ab's is a blood test to determine whether a woman has produced antibodies to the Rhesus antigen. This has important implications for pregnancy and the wellbeing of the unborn foetus. Read more on HealthEngine website. The following guide outlines the different pathology tests available throughout each trimester, and the purpose of your prenatal blood tests.
Read more on Know Pathology Know Healthcare website. Find out what being Rhesus D negative could mean for your baby and how it is treated.
During your pregnancy, you'll be offered a range of tests, including blood tests and ultrasound scans. If a pregnant woman is rhesus Rh negative and her fetus is Rh positive, the fetus and any subsequent fetus may be at risk of health problems. Read more on myDr website.
Pregnancy tests identify health concerns for you and your baby. Read more on raisingchildren. If results from a full blood count indicate you have anaemia, there are further blood tests that can be done to determine the cause of your anaemia. Find out what pregnancy and ovulation testing kits are available.
Read more on Better Health Channel website. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering. Video call. This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes.
The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care.
0コメント