Prenatal check-ups that older mothers must do

Older pregnant women are a relatively dangerous group of people. They need to undergo regular check-ups and pay attention to the development of the fetus to avoid the impact of diseases. The prenatal examinations that older mothers must undergo include chorionic villus sampling, Down syndrome testing, B-ultrasound, and NT testing, which can prevent congenital and genetic diseases in the fetus. Women should also be aware that it is best not to get pregnant at an advanced age.

What are the examination items that older pregnant women should not skip?

8-12 weeks of pregnancy: Chorionic villus sampling

Relevant data shows that the probability of an older pregnant mother giving birth to a child with Down syndrome is one in three hundred, which means that as age increases, the possibility of fetal chromosomal abnormalities increases. If a pregnant woman is worried about metabolic diseases in the fetus, she can do a chorionic villus sampling test at 8-12 weeks.

Chorionic villus sampling is mainly performed through two methods - abdominal puncture and cervical puncture to collect a small amount of chorionic tissue to obtain more detailed genetic and biological information about the fetus, thereby eliminating the possibility of the fetus suffering from metabolic diseases, chromosomal abnormalities, etc.

Since the chance of miscarriage caused by this test is 2-4 times that of amniocentesis, doctors generally do not recommend pregnant women to choose this test. Pregnant mothers can decide whether to undergo such examination based on the situation.

Pregnant women at 11-14 weeks: B-ultrasound NT examination

After an ultrasound examination, older pregnant mothers also need to undergo an ultrasound NT examination, which is an examination of the fetal nuchal translucency. Through ultrasound, the maximum gap between the skin and soft tissue of the fetus's neck is measured. If the thickness exceeds 3mm, it means that the risk factor for Down syndrome is high. Next, the chromosomes should be checked for abnormalities.

The test has an accuracy of 70% and has relatively few side effects. Therefore, older pregnant women should try to undergo this examination. If the test results show high risk, pregnant mothers can have chorionic villus sampling at 10-12 weeks, or choose amniocentesis at 14-19 weeks.

14-19 weeks of pregnancy: Down syndrome screening test

Our country's health department has made regulations on Down syndrome screening. All pregnant women between 14 and 19 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of their age, must undergo Down syndrome screening. The probability of neural tube defects or chromosomal abnormalities in older pregnant women is three times that of normal pregnant mothers. In this case, Down syndrome screening becomes more important.

Down syndrome screening mainly involves assessing the risk of a pregnant woman giving birth to a deformed or retarded fetus through the mother's blood sample. For high-risk people who are over 35 years old and have a family history of Down syndrome, you can skip the Down syndrome screening and go directly to chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis.

16-20 weeks of pregnancy: Amniocentesis

Amniocentesis mainly obtains a large amount of fetal genetic information by extracting amniotic fluid samples from the pregnant woman's uterus. It has a high accuracy rate of 99% and is currently the most commonly used test to rule out fetal malformations. The main steps are as follows:

1. The pregnant mother lies on the hospital bed and the doctor performs an ultrasonic examination on her abdomen.

2. After determining the position of the fetus, the doctor will puncture the abdomen.

3. Take 20 ml of amniotic fluid sample (the first 5 ml drawn will be discarded.

4. Remove the needle and check the fetal health again.

The chance of miscarriage caused by this examination has been reduced to 0.5% due to the continuous development of medical technology. Therefore, when older pregnant women undergo this examination, they should let go of the psychological burden and face it with ease.

20-24 weeks: 4D B-ultrasound examination

Because with the increase of age, the immune function of pregnant women changes, and the incidence of gestational hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes will be several times higher than that of pregnant women of appropriate age. Therefore, it is very necessary for older pregnant women to undergo high-level B-ultrasound examinations.

Four-dimensional color ultrasound is usually performed at 24 weeks of pregnancy. Four-dimensional imaging technology is used to observe the baby's color, the growth of various organs, and monitor fetal cardiovascular malformations, cleft lip, skeletal deformities and other symptoms and risk factors. Similarly, these tests can also determine possible complications for pregnant mothers by checking the amount of amniotic fluid, thereby reducing the risk of childbirth for older pregnant women.