What do antenatal blood tests look for

This test looks for bacteria in your urine, which can be a sign of a UTI. Sometimes UTIs do not cause symptoms. Your urine will be tested early in pregnancy and later in pregnancy. If the test shows bacteria in your urine, you will be treated with antibiotics.

After you finish treatment, you may have a repeat test to see if the bacteria are gone. Rubella sometimes called German measles can cause birth defects if a woman is infected during pregnancy.

Your blood can show whether you have been infected with rubella or if you have been vaccinated against this disease. If you had this infection before or you have been vaccinated against rubella, you are immune to the disease. Rubella is easily spread. If your blood test shows you are not immune, avoid anyone who has the disease while you are pregnant.

There is a vaccine , but it contains a live virus and is not recommended for pregnant women. If you have not been vaccinated, you can get the measles-mumps-rubella MMR vaccine after the baby is born. Hepatitis is a virus that infects the liver. Pregnant women who are infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C can pass the virus to their fetuses. All pregnant women should be tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection.

If you are infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C, you might need special care during pregnancy. Your baby also may need special care after birth. You can breastfeed if you have either infection. A vaccine is available to protect the baby against hepatitis B.

The vaccine is given as a series of three shots, with the first dose given to the baby within a few hours of birth. STIs can cause complications for you and your fetus. All pregnant women are tested for syphilis and chlamydia early in pregnancy. Tests for these infections may be repeated later in pregnancy if you have certain risk factors. You will also be tested for gonorrhea if you are 25 or younger or you live in an area where gonorrhea is common.

If you have an STI, you will be treated during pregnancy and tested again to see if the treatment has worked. Your sex partner or partners also should be treated. If you have HIV, there is a chance you could pass it to your fetus.

While you are pregnant, you can take medication that can greatly reduce the risk of passing HIV to your fetus. You also can get specialized care to ensure that you stay as healthy as possible throughout your pregnancy.

See HIV and Pregnancy to learn more. Women at high risk of TB should be tested for it. Those at high risk include people who are infected with HIV or who live in close contact with someone who has TB. The tests done later in pregnancy include glucose screening and group B streptococcus GBS screening. This test measures the level of glucose, or sugar, in your blood.

A high blood sugar level may be a sign of gestational diabetes , which can cause problems during pregnancy. For this test, you drink a special sugar mixture. An hour later, a blood sample is taken and sent to a lab. If your blood sugar level is high, you will have another type of glucose test to confirm the results. This test usually is done between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.

This test might be done in the first trimester of pregnancy if you have risk factors for diabetes or had gestational diabetes in a past pregnancy. GBS is one of the many bacteria that live in the body. It usually does not cause serious illness in adults, and it is not an STI. In women, GBS most often is found in the vagina and rectum.

This means that GBS can pass from a pregnant woman to her fetus during labor. This is rare and happens to 1 or 2 babies out of when the mother does not receive treatment with antibiotics during labor.

The chance of a newborn getting sick is much lower when the mother receives treatment. Even though it is rare for a baby to get GBS, it can be very serious when it happens. A small number of babies with GBS die even with immediate treatment.

The test for GBS is called a culture. It is done between 36 and 38 weeks of pregnancy. For this test, a swab is used to take a sample from the vagina and rectum. If the results show that GBS is present, most women will receive antibiotics through an intravenous IV line once labor has started. This is done to help protect the fetus from being infected.

The best time for treatment is during labor. See Group B Strep and Pregnancy to learn more. If results from a full blood count indicate you have anaemia, there are further blood tests that can be done to determine the cause of your anaemia. Find out what pregnancy and ovulation testing kits are available. Read more on Better Health Channel website. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering.

Video call. This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes. The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care.

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Send to: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. Rhesus RhD factor When you find out your blood group, you will also find out if your type is positive or negative. Anaemia It is very common for women to develop anaemia, or iron deficiency during pregnancy. Infections Your blood test will also look for a number of infections that may affect your pregnancy or your unborn baby. After the first visit, you can expect to get your urine tested and your weight and blood pressure checked at every or almost every visit until you deliver.

These tests can find problems such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia dangerously high blood pressure. During your first trimester, you'll be offered more tests depending on your age, health, family medical history, and other things. These can include:. Health care providers might order other tests during a woman's pregnancy based on such things as her and her partner's personal medical history and risk factors.

It's important to speak with a genetic counselor if your baby is at risk for hereditary conditions. Remember that tests are offered to you — it's your choice whether to have them. To decide which tests are right for you, talk with your health care provider about why a test is recommended, its risks and benefits, and what the results can — and can't — tell you. Reviewed by: Armando Fuentes, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size.

What Are Prenatal Tests? A blood test will check for things like: your blood type and Rh factor. If your blood is Rh negative and your partner's is Rh positive, you may develop antibodies that prove dangerous to your fetus. This can be prevented through an injection given around the 28th week of pregnancy. Health care providers now routinely offer to screen for these disorders even when there's no family history.