Pregnant women's checkup schedule

Whether you are an older mother or in the normal childbearing age, as long as you are pregnant, you need to do the corresponding prenatal checkups according to your physical condition. Especially older mothers should pay more attention to the time of prenatal checkups. Regular checkups can prevent some problems that older mothers often encounter, and can also prevent hypertension and heart disease. The following is an introduction to the prenatal checkup schedule for older mothers.

The prenatal check-up schedule is the guidelines you must follow for prenatal check-ups during pregnancy. For the development of the fetus and the health of the expectant mother, prenatal check-ups must not be neglected.

1. Prenatal check-up schedule

Early prenatal check-up refers to the check-up three months before pregnancy, which includes B-ultrasound examination to understand the development of the fetus in the uterus. If it is not good, it can be treated in time.

During the second trimester of pregnancy, which lasts from 4 to 6 months, there are many complications during pregnancy, such as gestational hypertension, pregnancy complicated by heart disease, pregnancy complicated by severe hepatitis, and preeclampsia, which directly threaten the lives of the mother and fetus.

From the 7th month of late pregnancy to before birth, special contents are checked once a week, including B-ultrasound, liver function, coagulation mechanism, blood routine and urine routine. At this time, B-ultrasound can understand the fetal position, whether the fetal organs are defective, whether there is renal or cerebrovascular hydrops; there are also some functional tests for the mother, such as in the late pregnancy, the continuous growth of the fetus compresses the lower limb veins and causes lower limb edema, and the venous return load increases, which can easily lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.

If you are an older pregnant woman, then the following prenatal check-ups are must-do items.

2. Prenatal examination items for older pregnant women

1. Fetal nuchal translucency

The fetal nuchal translucency refers to the space of subcutaneous fluid accumulation behind the fetal neck, which appears as a transparent band during ultrasound scanning. Measuring the fetal nuchal translucency is to measure the thickness of the maximum gap between the skin and soft tissue. This zona pellucida can be seen in the vast majority of normal fetuses, but in fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities, the nuchal zona pellucida will be significantly thickened.

When to check: 11 to 14 weeks of pregnancy.

Purpose of examination: To check whether the fetus has chromosomal abnormalities, especially Down syndrome.

Test sensitivity: 70%.

Inspection method: Use ultrasound to measure whether the thickness of the fetal nuchal translucency is less than 2.2-3.0 mm.

Inspection risks: None.

Inspection Report: Know immediately.

If the results show that the thickness of the fetal nuchal translucency is greater than 3.0 mm, it is abnormal, indicating that there is a high possibility of pregnant with Down syndrome. It is best to further determine whether the fetal chromosomes are normal.

Pregnant mothers can choose to undergo chorionic villus sampling at 10-12 weeks of pregnancy, or early amniocentesis at 12-15 weeks, or traditional amniocentesis at 16-20 weeks.

If the results of the pregnant mother's ultrasound screening show that she is in a low-risk group, then for pregnant women over 34 years old, it is recommended to undergo amniocentesis first; as for pregnant women under 34 years old, they can wait until 14-18 weeks to undergo maternal blood Down syndrome screening.

2. Maternal blood screening for Down syndrome

Maternal blood Down syndrome screening is a test done for Down syndrome.

Down syndrome usually refers to an extra chromosome in the 21st, 18th, or 13th pair of chromosomes in the fetus. It is a common chromosomal abnormality in newborns. It causes intellectual disability and multiple congenital anomalies in newborns.

When to check: 14-18 weeks of pregnancy.

Purpose of examination: To check whether the fetus has Down syndrome.

Test sensitivity: 50%-60%.

Examination method: blood drawing. The concentration of alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin in the mother's blood is tested, and then the probability of having a fetus with Down syndrome is calculated based on the number of weeks of pregnancy and age.

Inspection risks: None.

Examination report: The results will be available in about 2 weeks.

If the probability is greater than 1/270, it means there is a high possibility of having a baby with Down syndrome. Amniocentesis should be arranged immediately.