Ask a Doctor

Ngozi Osuagwu-Bosah, MD, FACOG
Doctors Hospital Obstetrics Gynecology
5131 Beacon Hill Road
Suite 220B
Columbus, Ohio 43228
Phone: (614) 544-2430

Q: What tests should I expect my doctor to do or order for me during my routine prenatal visits and what do these test results tell us?
 
A: There are several tests that your physician will order during your prenatal visits.  These tests depend on how far along you are in pregnancy and any risk factors noted based on your medical and family history.
 
Most people come to their physician during the first trimester.  You will have a physical exam. During this exam, a pap smear and cultures for gonorrhea and chlamydia will be obtained.  The pap smear is a screening test for cervical cancer. If this test is abnormal, you will need further testing.  If the gonorrhea or chlamydia results are positive, you and your partner will need to be treated with antibiotics, and then re-tested to confirm the elimination of the infection.
 
Blood tests will be ordered and drawn. The complete blood count (CBC) is a test to screen for anemia. Your blood will also be typed, and it will be screened for antibodies. Your blood will also be screened for syphilis and hepatitis. A rubella test will be ordered and lack of immunity will require you be vaccinated after the delivery of the baby. HIV testing will also be offered, and your blood will be tested, but only with your permission. Knowledge of your status assists the doctor in determining the method of managing your care to decrease the chances of transmission to the child. A urine test to check for infection is also ordered.
 
Depending on your risk factors, you might be screened for cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease. Other tests might be ordered depending on your ancestry.  If you are of Eastern European or Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, it may be important to test for Tay-Sachs disease.

Between 15 and 19 weeks of pregnancy, you will be asked if you want to be screened for neural tube defects (problems with the spine of the baby) and Down syndrome. If you want to be screened, you will have an alfa-fetoprotein test. This test may be enhanced with further tests to make the screening more valuable.  Between 24 and 28 weeks, you will be screened for diabetes with a 1-hour glucose challenge test.  Depending on the result of the test, you may have to do the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. This will determine if you have gestational diabetes. This is diabetes that is diagnosed during pregnancy, but usually resolves after pregnancy. Between 35 and 37 weeks, you will be screened for group B streptococcus infection. Cultures will be obtained from your vagina and rectum. If it is positive, you will need antibiotics when you go into labor.