How many examinations should be done during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, women should not only pay attention to their own bodies, but also prenatal examinations are very important. No matter which examination items are included, they should actively participate in them. In this way, they can ensure that the fetus in their belly is very healthy and grows healthily in their belly. So how many examinations do you need to do during pregnancy?

Inspection items:

Detailed medical history

The content includes age, parity, occupation, menstrual history, age of menarche and menstrual cycle. If the woman is a multiparous woman, previous delivery situations should be understood, including history of dystocia, stillbirth, method of delivery, date of last delivery or miscarriage, condition of the newborn, history of hypertension, heart disease, etc.; the process of this pregnancy, the time and degree of early pregnancy reaction, fever, viral infection and other discomfort, medication status, etc.; the health status of the husband, and the family history of both parties should pay attention to whether there are birth defects and genetic diseases, and related diseases need to be recorded.

Calculate due date

Starting from the first day of the last menstrual period, subtract 3 or add 9 to the month and add 7 to the day. If the last menstrual period was March 5, then the expected date of delivery is December 12. It should be noted that pregnant women with irregular menstruation cannot use this method mechanically to determine the expected date of delivery due to abnormal ovulation time. It can be determined based on the time of early pregnancy reaction, the start time of fetal movement, the height of the uterine fundus, etc. If necessary, ultrasound is required to check the gestational age.

General examination

Height and weight/body mass index (BMI): Generally speaking, pregnant women with short stature have an increased chance of having a narrow pelvis, and the BMI value is correlated with pregnancy prognosis. Those with a high BMI index need to be alert to complications such as gestational hypertension and diabetes during pregnancy.

Blood pressure measurement: Understanding the patient's basic blood pressure is important for assessing and judging the tolerance of the circulatory system during pregnancy. For example, patients with chronic hypertension need to actively control their blood pressure early and receive more professional guidance in life and diet.

Oral examination: Current studies have shown that periodontitis is closely related to infectious premature birth, so dental care during pregnancy is very important. Of course, it is very important to thoroughly treat oral diseases before planning a pregnancy.

Auscultation of the heart and lungs: to understand whether there are heart murmurs and underlying lung lesions. Pregnant women with a history of cardiopulmonary disease will face a significantly increased burden during pregnancy, and further cardiopulmonary function assessment is required.

Is there any edema in the lower limbs: Normal pregnant women often have edema below the knees, which will disappear after rest. If it does not disappear and is accompanied by excessive weight gain, you need to be alert to the occurrence of gestational hypertension.

Obstetric examination

Measure uterine height and abdominal circumference: uterine height refers to the distance from the upper edge of the pubic symphysis to the bottom of the uterus. When the uterine fundus exceeds the normal range of gestational age, it is necessary to consider whether it is a twin pregnancy, macrosomia, or polyhydramnios, especially the abnormal increase in amniotic fluid caused by fetal malformation. If the abdomen is too small, you need to pay attention to whether there is intrauterine growth restriction of the fetus, fetal malformation, etc.

Auscultation of fetal heartbeat: Fetal heartbeat is often clearer when auscultated on the dorsal side of the fetus. This is helpful when the uterine wall is sensitive or when the fetal position assessment is difficult due to other reasons such as obesity.

Vaginal and cervical examination: Vaginal examination is often performed during the first 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. It should be noted that pregnant women who have not had a pre-pregnancy checkup need to undergo routine cervical cytology examination to rule out cervical lesions. If abnormal cervical cytology is found, a colposcopy may be performed as appropriate. In the late pregnancy, you can do pelvic measurement at the same time as the vaginal examination. The most important diameter in pelvic measurement is the ischial tuberosity diameter, which is the transverse diameter of the pelvic outlet plane. If the outlet plane is normal, you can choose vaginal trial delivery. External pelvic measurements are now obsolete.

The above article gives us a detailed introduction to how many examinations are needed during pregnancy. I believe pregnant women should have understood it clearly, so they must pay attention to this issue. Once a problem occurs, further examination and treatment must be carried out.