Table of contents:
- Health tests before pregnancy that should be done by women
- 1. Blood test to find out genetic diseases
- 2. Check blood sugar
- 3. Thyroid function test
- 4. Check medicines
- 5. Pap smear
- 6. Tests for venereal disease
Before planning a pregnancy program, it's best for women to do it check-up pre-pregnancy to the doctor. As suggested by dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology from Yale University of School Medicine, women should check their health first with an obstetrician before trying to become pregnant. According to dr. Mary Jane, the goal is to find out what health problems and disorders are at risk for the mother, baby, and pregnancy. What pre-pregnancy health tests are recommended for expectant mothers?
Health tests before pregnancy that should be done by women
1. Blood test to find out genetic diseases
The director of obstetrics and gynecology at Johns Hopkins Medicines, dr. Sheri Lawson, recommends that women undergo a blood test as one of the health tests before becoming pregnant.
Doctors recommend blood tests to detect genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis (in which thick mucus damages organs), Tay-Sachs disease (a condition that destroys nerve cells in the body), or sickle cells (a condition where there is no red blood that delivers oxygen to the body). whole body).
It is intended that if you or your partner carry certain genetic diseases, the risks to pregnancy and the baby can be avoided. If indeed the disease gene will be found between you and your partner, dr. Sheri Lawson suggests an IVF program so that later embryonic genes can be tested first.
2. Check blood sugar
Checking blood sugar is one of the pre-pregnancy health tests that mothers-to-be with diabetes or prediabetes should take.
Prospective mothers with uncontrolled diabetes are at risk of causing babies born with low blood sugar, stillborn babies (stillbirth), or birth by caesarean section. Therefore, diabetes patients or women who are overweight are strongly advised to check their blood sugar levels before starting a pregnancy program.
3. Thyroid function test
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which your body doesn't have enough thyroid hormones for a fetus to grow normally. In addition, if you are detected that you have hyperthyroidism or the amount of thyroid hormone in the body, this can harm the baby. Excess thyroid hormone can cross the placenta of the baby and put you at risk for an enlarged fetal thyroid.
Thyroid problems can be found through a simple blood test. A simple blood test can also detect the presence of HIV, hepatitis B or C conditions, to syphilis which can be transmitted to your future baby.
4. Check medicines
Before planning a pregnancy, you should make sure that the drugs you take during the pregnancy program are suitable and do not have certain side effects.
The reason is, there are several drugs that easily react with certain conditions or other drugs. For example, high blood pressure drugs and epilepsy drugs. So, first make sure with your doctor that the medicines you take during the pregnancy program are safe and will not cause dangerous side effects.
5. Pap smear
For women who are married and have had sex, it is highly recommended that they regularly undergo a pap smear test. One of these pre-pregnancy health tests serves to detect the HPV virus which can cause cervical cancer (cervix) in women. Cervical cancer itself is a type of cancer that is quite common in women.
If after carrying out the pap smear abnormalities are found in the uterus and vagina, the doctor will do a biopsy later. Well, this biopsy is better done before pregnancy occurs. Because if pregnant women undergo a biopsy, you can run the risk of experiencing pain, cramps, or even bleeding.
6. Tests for venereal disease
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that women, especially expectant mothers, do a venereal disease test as a complement check-uppre-pregnancy. The reason is, venereal diseases such as chlamydia or syphilis are often not detected at first.
It can also complicate pregnancy because chlamydia can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes in the uterus. Certain venereal diseases can also inhibit conception so that your chances of getting pregnant are less.
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