Pregnancy Involves Many Tests

Throughout the course of a pregnancy, an expecting mother will have many tests. They fall into the following categories:

• pregnancy test - the first test
• routine, non-invasive tests - these occur during each visit to the obstetrician's office
  • blood pressure
  • urine glucose/protein
  • fetal heartbeat
• blood sampling tests - usually done once at various times during pregnancy
  • blood type, Rh Factor
  • determine iron levels
  • HIV, Hepatitis B, syphilis
  • glucose tolerance test
  • triple screen test
• swab tests - usually done once at various times during pregnancy
  • Pap smear - to check for STDs, various bacteria (varies according to the laws of each state)
  • Group B streptococcus screening
• ultrasound - done at least one time during pregnancy
• tests done under special circumstances
  • amniocentesis
  • chorionic villus sampling
  • fetal blood sampling or percutaneous umbilical blood sampling
  • fetal monitoring

Let's look at the various tests to see how they work and what they can tell us about the developing baby.