![]() a noninvasive prenatal screening, or NIPS) is a blood test that analyzes DNA fragments that are circulating in a woman’s blood (also called cell-free DNA, or cfNDA). If the screening results indicate that your baby may have an abnormality, you can receive follow-up diagnostic testing to confirm or eliminate the diagnosis.īy opting for early screening and testing, you’ll have more time to make medical decisions during your pregnancy and after delivery. Starting around week 10, pregnant women can receive first trimester screening and tests for certain chromosomal conditions. The results will either be “positive” (meaning, you are a carrier for the condition) or “negative” (meaning, you aren’t a carrier for the condition). While the test can be done before you get pregnant, some women choose to have the test done during pregnancy.įirst trimester genetic screening and diagnostic testing A carrier screening can reveal if you have a gene for (or, are a “carrier” of) genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis or spinal muscular atrophy. Your doctor will likely take blood or a swab of saliva from the inside of your cheek and send the sample to a lab. You’ll also likely be screened for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, HIV and chlamydia. If you test positive for a bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe pregnancy-safe antibiotics for you and possibly your partner - because if you give birth with an untreated infection, your baby is at risk of dangerous infections too, including pneumonia. Pap smear. Your midwife or doctor might do a Pap smear (or Pap test) at your first prenatal appointment to screen for abnormal cervical cells.Initial blood work. At your first prenatal visit, you’ll roll up your sleeve for a blood sample, which will be tested for conditions that could affect your pregnancy and delivery. Specifically, your provider will check for anemia, along with your blood type, hCG levels (a hormone that’s produced by the fetus), immunity to certain diseases and Rh factor, which diagnoses Rh disease, another condition that can be easily managed as long as your provider knows about it in advance. You may also receive a screening for cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, sickle cell anemia, spinal muscular atrophy, thalassemia and other genetic conditions, if you weren’t screened before conception.The good news: Providing a urine sample is risk-free, so drink up before each appointment! Why? Urinalysis helps your doctor or midwife check you for two potentially dangerous pregnancy complications: high blood pressure (preeclampsia) and gestational diabetes. Both are treatable, but can be dangerous if they’re not identified. Urine tests. You started off your pregnancy by peeing on an at-home pregnancy test - so it’s only fitting that you’ll continue peeing in a cup at pretty much every prenatal visit.Some prenatal screenings and tests are par for the pregnancy course, and offered to all pregnant women. These tests can diagnose some conditions with nearly 100 percent accuracy. These tests will examine the chromosomes of your baby (either through a sample of amniotic fluid or cells from the developing placenta), rather than your own. Diagnostic tests. If the results of a prenatal screening indicate an increased risk of a disorder, you’ll likely get a diagnostic test, like an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), next.If the results of these tests indicate a high risk for an abnormality, your doctor may suggest a diagnostic test to confirm or rule out the finding. Screenings. Prenatal screenings, such as blood tests, can help you identify the likelihood of a baby having a genetic or chromosomal condition, but they cannot actually diagnose the disorder.Here are the different types of prenatal tests that can give you more information about your child, including their risk of having a genetic or chromosomal condition: Some of the tests that you’ll take during pregnancy will help your doctor monitor your health, while others will give you more information about your baby’s health. Discuss early on with your doctor what tests are right for you so you can schedule them during the proper times in your pregnancy. But most of these tests will confirm that everything is just fine - or can be made so with simple, standard follow-up care.
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