List of Tests During Pregnancy

Author: Sitagita.com

Blood pressure: Blood pressure will be measured at each visit and is slightly lower during pregnancy that is about 120/70. An elevation of over 140/90 may warn of pre-eclampsia or toxaemia, which is a serious complication. You may have to be treated or just rest in bed.
Blood Sugar:Blood sugar screening is a must in the beginning, at 20 weeks and 30 weeks, specially if there is a history of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Urine analysis Your urine will be checked at each visit for glucose (indicating diabetes), protein (which might signal toxaemia that needs treatment), white blood corpuscles (could be kidney or urinary problem), red blood corpuscles (a kidney problem), ketones (lack of nutrition) Your doctor may suggest additional tests.

Ultrasound scans are a quick, painless and harmless ways of visualising the foetus. You have to drink several glasses of water after which a radiologist passes a probe over your abdomen. The probe receives high frequency sound waves that bounce off the foetus and are translated into images on a screen. The doctor can see the position, growth and movement of the foetus, whether there are more than one foetus, whether the placenta is growing well and the blood flow is adequate. You usually need two or three sonographies - one within the first 8 weeks, one around 18 to 24 weeks, and the last, if necessary, at the end.

An ultrasound scan should not be used to determine the sex of the child.

The Alpha Feto Protein test: It shows major malformation in the baby, especially in the spinal cord, more clearly.

The Doppler Non Stress Test is used after 30 weeks only in special cases to check the adequacy of the placenta and to see if the baby is adequately nourished. The baby's heartbeat is measured. If it shows an increase following foetal movements or uterine contractions, then it is normal; a distressed baby shows a fall.

The Colour Doppler studies the blood flow in the foetus using colour codes for the arteries and veins. This is necessary only in complicated pregnancies, if the mother is diabetic, hypertensive or the Doppler Non Stress Test shows a problem.

Thalassemia trait test is recommended for Sindhis and Kutchis who are high-risk communities. If both would-be parents carry the trait in a minor form, there is a 75% chance that they may bear a thalassemic major baby, and need foetal testing and counselling.

Vaginal culture: Fluids obtained from the vagina may be tested for gonorrhea, herpes or other infections that might threaten the baby at birth.

G6PD (Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenas) test is administered to Parsis who are usually prone to the condition. It is necessary to know if you carry this trait because you can have severe side effects to certain medications.

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Pregnancy Tests - How To Determine Pregnancy Correctly

Author: Abhishek Agarwal

Pregnancy would give you that bloated feeling, the sore and tender breasts, touch of nausea. Most of all, the absence of monthly periods would speak it up. In this case, pregnancy is the foremost thing coming to one's mind. Quite many methods would determine if the baby would appear in a few months time. One could always take a pregnancy test online, a home test or take an appointment with a doctor. Despite of various results from home and online tests; if positive, an appointment with your physician would confirm the results to get you started on healthy pregnancy.

Every woman who has children or have a suspicion that they are pregnant, perhaps use the home pregnancy test. Quite many jokes have been made about regarding peeing upon sticks at baby showers. Home tests are done by placing sticks in the urine stream or in containers holding urine. After minutes, results are visible on the test screens. Appearance of the line suggests positive pregnancy result. When there is no line, the possibility of pregnancy is very low. Such tests work by detecting the lack or presence of HCG, which is one common hormone mainly found in pregnancy.

Various websites give and show methods for pregnancy-curious women to find if they are pregnant and the possibilities of being pregnant. Apparently, with no physical proofs to carry on with, no online test for pregnancy would be fool-proof. Every online pregnancy test would start with questions like the last period date, physical changes or appearance of any symptoms. The software would then check the possibility of being pregnant. These tests are designed for instructing the user if they really need to take a home test or contact their doctor. A web search would yield large number of tests online with options to choose from.

An up-to-date and an accurate test is that which is physically performed by a doctor. They would do an examination similar to a home test with an addition to having a pelvis exam done. Few internal signals such as changes in cervix would assist the medical professionals about existence of pregnancy. It also becomes good time to get medical advice related to nutrition and care towards healthy pregnancy. Often, many women are aware of their pregnancy and a doctor's visit is merely for confirmation.

It would really not make a difference on what pregnancy test you choose. However ensure to take good medical care and gain better knowledge about your pregnant condition so that your bundle of joy comes in safe and sound.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/pregnancy-tests-how-to-determine-pregnancy-correctly-753489.html

About the Author:
Abhishek has got some great Pregnancy And Childbirth Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 77 Pages Ebook, "Understanding Pregnancy!" from his website http://www.Childbirth-Guru.com/774/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Early Signs Of Pregnancy - Am I Pregnant?

Author: emmamadison

Early signs of pregnancy can leave one confused - most of the time it is a missed period that gets you thinking that you might be pregnant. You start to wonder whether you are pregnant or not? You might be pregnant if you have a regular menstrual cycle and this time you have not got your period.

A pregnant woman also goes to the bathroom more than usual? In fact, frequent urination occurs as early as the six weeks. This sign worsens as your pregnancy progresses. This is mainly due to the increasing pressure on the bladder.

Strong odors make a pregnant woman feel queasy and hence increase their feel discomfort. The increasing amounts of estrogen in the system bring this early sign into force. It also differs from woman to woman. You may be a hard core fan of Mocha but now not be able to bear even the smell of it.

Another early sign of pregnancy is that you may start to feel more tired and sleepy. A pregnant woman tends to sleep for longer hours. The feeling of fatigue leaves her lethargic all throughout the day. But the best part is that this symptom does not remain during the entire pregnancy term. There may be a sudden flow of energy once the mother-to-be enters the second trimester.

As an early sign of pregnancy, many women feel that they have bloated and gained a lot of weight. Even though the uterus is still the same size, she may just feel as is she is carrying a lot of weight. Some women may also experience digestion problems. This puffy feel is mainly due the tremendous amount of hormonal changes taking place in the body. Consuming small frequent meals may get you relief.

Last but not the least; a pregnancy test is the surest way to confirm your doubt. You could get a Home pregnancy test kit from your local pharmacy when you see an early sign of pregnancy and use it in the privacy of your home. However, even this test may give false results if you are still in the very early days. If the result is negative, and you still don’t get your period, you should take the test again, after a week.

What’s more, you must know about the other conditions like stress, medication or hormonal problems that prevent you from getting your period. However, if you are pregnant, congrats! Go meet your doctor. You are about to embark on the most wonderful journey of life.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/early-signs-of-pregnancy-am-i-pregnant-865267.html

About the Author:
Home pregnancy test is a good option if you are not sure about an early sign of pregnancy.

What You Must Know About a Home Pregnancy Test

Author: emmamadison

The moment you are convinced you are pregnant, your first thought is taking a home pregnancy test. Convenient, quick, simple to use and easily available, it seems like the ideal thing to do. Here is what you must know about home pregnancy tests before you take off for the nearest pharmacy.

Pregnancy tests, by the way, are US FDA regulated. There are several over the counter home pregnancy tests available that you can use in private to get immediate results. There are pregnancy tests that tell you that you are pregnant barely six days after you conceive or immediately the day after you miss your period. For you, this means that as soon as you know you are pregnant, you can start planning the kind of prenatal care you want.

A Look At How Home Pregnancy Tests Work

You have probably wondered how a home pregnancy can tell you so quickly whether you are pregnant. Here is what happens. Pregnant women, once they conceive, produce a hormone called hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin. Even tiny traces of hCG are immediately identified. All you need is that urine sample and the antibodies in the test detect the pregnancy hormone in the urine. What you do is add your urine sample to a special container that has the antibodies and wait for the specified time as indicated in the test. Then, you watch for the color change that tells you whether you are indeed pregnant.

There are home pregnancy tests available that will even warn you if you have not done the test in the right way. These tests produce results in three minutes or so and are available as pen-like instruments in which the hCG is detected by the antibodies.

Is My Home Pregnancy Test Accurate?

Naturally, the maker of the home pregnancy test will claim 100% accuracy. Invariably the reasons why results could go wrong are if the test is not done properly or if the product is well past its expiry date. Sometimes if the test is exposed to sunlight, it may not function properly. If the user has cancer, the test may not show up the right result. Most of all, instructions provided must be followed.

With home pregnancy tests, accurate results are best got when the test is repeated again after a few days. This is simply because as soon as you conceive, the hCG hormone levels can be low. Also, depending on the test, if it is not that sensitive, it may not really detect the hCG even though you might actually be pregnant. Therefore, wait for a few days and do the test again. The moment you think you are pregnant, arrange to see your doctor because the sooner your prenatal care begins, the better for you and your baby.

Note: This is for information only. For any concerns, issues, diagnosis and treatment please get your doctor's advice.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/what-you-must-know-about-a-home-pregnancy-test-923555.html

About the Author:

The joy of pregnancy begins with that positive result on your home pregnancy test. Everything you want to know about a pregnancy test is here.