A test to analyse the unborn baby’s health is called prenatal testing. During the prenatal visit, the physician will suggest for many tests to check for a number of things such as- signs of infection, rubella infection, chickenpox, problems with blood. There can be various other tests suggested through out pregnancy. Some common tests for all women are:
- Screening for Down Syndrome
- Screening for HIV
- Screening for gestational diabetes
Other tests may vary according to factors such as:
- Age
- Health history of the woman and family
- Routine test results
- Ethnic Background etc.
Screening tests are to detect the signs of health issues on the unborn baby. After screening tests, diagnostic tests will be conducted to confirm the issue. The main purposes of a prenatal test are:
- To facilitate timely treatment for the child
- If diagnosed with some dangerous condition, the parents can abort the fetus to avoid further complications.
- Giving a chance to the parents to prepare mentally, physically and financially to cope with the child’s health issue.
In total, prenatal testing gives a chance to the parents and doctor to prepare for the delivery.