Tests in Pregnancy

There are many tests that will be recommended or you may have read about.

Here are the main ones:

Routine Pregnancy Screening:

1. Blood count and platelets
2. Blood Group and Rhesus and Antibody screening.
3. Infectious: HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B
4. Urine culture
5. Thyroid and early diabetes screening

Pregnancy Risk Assessment:

1. Pre-eclampsia screening and prevention (week 11 to Week 13+6days)

Fetal Screening

1. Genetic
   1. ultrasound – First Trimester Screening (uFTS) – 88% for Down Syndrome
   2. combined First Trimester Screening (cFTS- maternal blood sample and scan) – 95% for Down Syndrome
   3. NIPT (maternal blood sample) – 99.9% for Down Syndrome
2. Structural
   1. 2nd Trimester Detailed Structural Scan – Week 18-24
3. Functional
   1. 3rd Trimester Detailed Scan – Week 28-32

Preterm Birth Screening

1. Cervical length screening – same sitting as 2nd Trimester Detailed Structural Scan
2. Urine culture
3. Vaginal bacterial screening
4. General counseling to prevent other modifiable lifestyle factors

There are reasons behind the recommendations. We will be happy to engage should anyone have questions.