Prenatal Tests: Seeking Baby's Best
Between 5 and 10 percent of pregnant women don't get all the prenatal tests they should have. On The Saturday Early Show,, Medical Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay runs through the tests you should expect when you are expecting.
No one likes being prodded with needles and having blood drawn. But prenatal testing is something all pregnant women must do. It is a way for you and your doctor to monitor the progress of the child growing inside of you. In most cases, the tests will show that the fetus is healthy. But if there are problems detected, there are steps that can be taken to correct or prepare for them.
The Tests:
Blood work: Once it's been determined that you are having a baby, a technician will draw several vials of blood. The blood will then be screened for illnesses such as anemia, hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis. The lab will also check to see what your blood type is. If, for instance, your blood is Rh negative and the father's is Rh positive, then you will receive a drug to prevent anemia in the baby.
Pap Smear: A pap smear is usually done if you haven't had one in the past six months. What your obstetrician is looking for is the presence of diseases such as gonorrhea and chlamydia, which can lead to eye problems in newborns.
Urinalysis: Expect to have a urine test at each of your regular visits to the obstetrician. The doctor is looking for signs of kidney infection, diabetes and to see whether you have a condition known as preeclampsia, which is pregnancy induced high blood pressure that could harm the baby.
Alpha Fetal Protein And Triple Marker Screening: Your blood is drawn typically sometime between the 15th and 22nd week of your pregnancy. It's done to determine your risk of delivering a child with Down syndrome or neural tube defects. It's important to note that these tests won't definitively tell you if your baby will have a birth defect, only their odds. If the chances are greater than 1 in 200, your doctor will recommend further testing.
Ultrasound: An ultrasound is usually performed between the 16th and 22nd week of your pregnancy. It not only allows doctors to survey the fetus and the conditions of the uterus, but it allows you to see an image of what's growing inside of you.
The above tests are routine and are virtually harmless to the mother and fetus. But there are other tests where there is a very small but very real chance of miscarriage. They are the following:
Amniocentesis: An amniocentesis is when the doctor inserts a needle into your uterus and withdraws some of the fluids surrounding your fetus. It is usually done between the 15- and 18-week mark of your pregnancy. It's typically performed if you are 35 and older or have a high-risk pregnancy. An amniocentesis is very good at detecting problems such as Down syndrome but there is a 1 in 250 risk of miscarriage.
CVS: CVS stands for Chorionic Villus Sampling. The doctor collects tissue from your placenta and screens it for genetic disorders. He does it if he feels your baby is at risk of having birth defects. The risk of miscarriage here is 1 in 100.