Patient's question:
How long should one wait to have the baby's screening for congenital abnormalities, and what are the specific tests involved? First follow-up question: When I went to the hospital for my first prenatal check-up at 3 months, the doctor only measured my blood pressure and touched my abdomen, then told me what nutrients to add. Is such a prenatal check-up considered standard? Why weren't blood and urine tests conducted? What should a standard prenatal check-up include? Second follow-up question: You haven't told me what the screening for congenital abnormalities includes yet.Doctor's answer:
Hello: Generally, a check-up is performed around the fifth month of pregnancy. Based on your situation, it should be a prenatal check-up.Obstetricians conduct different examinations for pregnant women during the perinatal period depending on their specific conditions. Some pregnant women may have questions: Is it better to have fewer tests? What is the purpose of these tests? Can they be avoided? In response, obstetric experts believe that necessary tests should still be performed. Doctors will tailor the examinations to individual cases to ensure the health of both mother and child.
Obstetric Ultrasound
Regular ultrasound monitoring of pregnant women can monitor amniotic fluid volume, placental position, placental maturity, and whether the fetus has any abnormalities. It can also assess whether fetal development is consistent with the gestational age. Generally, one obstetric ultrasound is performed around the 34th week of pregnancy, and another between the 37th and 38th weeks.
Fetal Heart Monitoring
The fetal heart rate is regulated by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. By tracing the changes in fetal heart rate in real time through signal recording, the curve of the monitoring graph can reveal the fetus's response to fetal movement and contractions, helping to determine if there is fetal hypoxia in the uterus. In normal pregnancies, fetal heart monitoring is performed once a week starting from the 37th week of pregnancy. If there are complications or comorbidities, it can begin as early as the 28th to 30th week of pregnancy.
Hypertension Test
There are two main purposes for this test: predicting gestational hypertension and evaluating placental function. The doctor uses an instrument to detect the radial artery of the pregnant woman, monitoring the arterial blood flow per minute, and then accurately measuring various blood parameters, such as blood viscosity and microcirculatory changes. Based on these changes, the doctor can adjust the treatment plan and observe the effectiveness of the therapy.
Placental Function Monitoring