What tests should be done during the 12th week of pregnancy

At 12 weeks of pregnancy, pregnant women will generally have their first prenatal check-up at this time. There are many items in the first prenatal check-up, so pregnant women and their loved ones must master the time to go to the hospital. It includes routine examination items, such as blood routine, urine routine, etc. In addition, there are some key prenatal examination items, such as nt, which is very necessary.

What tests should be done during the 12th week of pregnancy

A. Routine prenatal check-up items:

During the first prenatal check-up, doctors will usually ask expectant mothers to create a pregnancy health care handbook, determine the gestational age, calculate the expected date of delivery, and assess high-risk factors during pregnancy. Routine examinations will include blood pressure, body mass index, fetal heart rate, blood routine, urine routine, blood type (ABO and Rh), fasting blood sugar, liver function and kidney function, hepatitis B virus surface antigen, syphilis spirochete, HIV screening, and electrocardiogram, so that the doctor can better understand the physical condition of the expectant mother and fetus. For expectant mothers who have not undergone premarital or pregnancy checkups, thalassemia screening will be added, and those who have pets at home will also need to add parasite checks. It is best to bring the expectant father along to the first prenatal check-up.

B. Key prenatal examination items: NT

Necessity of NT: In my country, doctors generally recommend nuchal translucency scans for people at high risk of Down syndrome, such as pregnant women over 35 years old, those who have given birth to a baby with Down syndrome, or those with a family history of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome. Although a nuchal translucency scan cannot determine definitively whether the fetus is infected, it can help pregnant women decide whether further diagnostic testing is needed.

A nuchal translucency scan is a screening test used to assess whether a fetus may have Down syndrome. The NT test is different from diagnostic tests such as chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. They can provide a definite diagnosis, but the NT test can only indicate the risk. To determine whether the fetus has chromosomal abnormalities, further chromosomal analysis is still required through chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis.

Tips for prenatal check-up at 12 weeks of pregnancy

1. NT examination is a B-ultrasound examination item, which does not require blood test. Eating and drinking will not affect the test results, so there is no need to fast before the examination.

2. Because the fetus is too small to observe the nuchal translucency before 11 weeks of pregnancy, and the fetus gradually develops after 14 weeks of pregnancy, it may absorb excess body fluid from the nuchal translucency and affect the test results. Therefore, it is best for pregnant women to do NT within 11-14 weeks of pregnancy to avoid inaccurate test results.

3. It is best to make an appointment for NT in advance. Generally, you can start making an appointment with the hospital 11 weeks before pregnancy for scheduling. Do not make an appointment after 13 weeks of pregnancy to avoid long waiting times. Doing NT after the gestational age will affect the accuracy of the test results.

4. The next prenatal check-up will be at the 16th week of pregnancy, which is the beginning of the second trimester. From this point on, a prenatal check-up will be conducted every four weeks.