It is necessary to have a pregnancy check up since you first found out that you were pregnant. The goal is to check the health condition of you and the fetus in the womb. So, what will be checked in this pregnancy check?
The main purpose of a series of prenatal care is to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Not only to evaluate the condition of the mother and fetus, pregnancy tests are also important to monitor fetal growth and detect as early as possible any abnormalities, both in the mother and fetus.
A series of pregnancy check-ups that pregnant women need to undergo
During a prenatal check-up, your doctor will measure your weight and vital signs, which include blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature. The doctor will also perform a physical examination and an obstetrical examination, including a Leopold examination.
After that, the doctor may also perform some supporting examinations, such as:
blood test
A complete blood count is a type of blood test that doctors routinely perform when conducting a pregnancy check-up. The goal is to detect abnormalities that may be experienced by pregnant women or fetuses.
In addition to a complete blood count, tests that are also carried out in a blood test are:
1. Blood type test
The blood group test aims to determine the blood group and rhesus of pregnant women, in order to anticipate the possibility of differences in rhesus between pregnant women and fetuses.
If the blood test results show that you are rhesus negative and the fetus is rhesus positive, there is a risk for rhesus incompatibility. This condition will cause the baby to experience anemia due to the rupture of blood cells (hemolytic anemia) when he is born. As a result, the baby may develop jaundice (jaundice).
If you have previously done a blood type and rhesus check, this examination is no longer needed.
2. Hemoglobin (Hb)
Hemoglobin or Hb is an iron-rich protein found in red blood cells. Hb allows red blood cells to distribute oxygen throughout the body and transport carbon dioxide from all over the body to be excreted through the lungs.
Every pregnant woman needs to undergo Hb examination to detect whether there is anemia or lack of blood.
Anemia needs to be prevented and treated because it can interfere with the health of the mother and fetus. Anemia can also increase the risk of premature birth, miscarriage, low birth weight, and postpartum hemorrhage.
3. Blood sugar test
Blood sugar tests are part of a routine pregnancy check-up. This examination is important to detect whether pregnant women have gestational diabetes (gestational diabetes).
Pregnant women are more at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy if they are overweight (overweight) or obese, have a history of diabetes in a previous pregnancy, or have a history of diabetes in the past.
4. Screening for infectious diseases
This examination is carried out to detect whether there is an infectious disease in pregnant women. Screening for infectious diseases including hepatitis B, syphilis, HIV, and TORCH.
The sooner it is detected, the faster the infection can be treated. In addition to preventing the risk of transmission to the fetus, this examination is also important to reduce the risk of transmission of infection to partners.
5. Genetic testing
This test is done to determine if you have a genetic disorder, such as thalassemia, which can be passed on to the fetus. Genetic testing can also be done on the fetus by taking a sample of amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid).amniocentesis) and fetal blood samples (fetal blood sampling).
Antenatal urine test
This examination is carried out on urine samples of pregnant women. The goal is to detect whether pregnant women have certain disorders, such as preeclampsia, urinary tract infections, or diabetes.
Ultrasound (USG)
Ultrasound examination is carried out at least 3 times during pregnancy, namely:
First trimester
Ultrasound examination in the first trimester or gestational age of 10–14 weeks aims to determine gestational age and detect possible twin pregnancies or abnormalities in the fetus, such as Down syndrome.
Second trimester
Ultrasound examination in the second trimester (weeks 18–20) aims to determine whether there are congenital or congenital abnormalities in the fetus, such as congenital heart defects and neural tube defects.
Third trimester
Ultrasound examination in the 32nd week of pregnancy or entering the third trimester is done when the placenta is above the cervical bone. Ultrasound examination aims to detect the possibility of a placenta previa condition.
In addition, ultrasound is also used to determine the baby's weight, gender, position of the baby, and assess the amount of amniotic fluid.
Pregnancy check-ups should be done regularly so that the health of you and your fetus can be monitored. Therefore, try not to miss the scheduled pregnancy check-up.
In addition to routinely undergoing prenatal care, also apply a healthy and balanced diet, take prenatal vitamins as recommended by your doctor, drink enough water, do light exercise regularly, and get enough rest to keep your pregnancy healthy.