Pregnancy is typically a time of great anticipation. You could be questioning about several points concerning your child. Will you have a girl or perhaps a boy? Will he have blue eyes or brown eyes? Will she be interesting like her dad and intelligent like her mom? How will it really feel to finally hold your child within your arms? Along with emotions of excitement and joy, you may have moments of doubt and anxiousness. What if something goes wrong with the pregnancy? Will your child be healthy? They’re completely typical emotions experienced by most pregnant women. It could reassure you to know that almost all pregnancies – more than 95 percent – are healthy and result in the safe delivery of a healthy . Still, in some instances you may wish to know specific information about your baby’s health before his or her birth. Maybe your weight gain or the size of your uterus suggests that you’re carrying more than one child. Possibly because of your age or family history you’re at increased risk of carrying a child with a chromosomal problem or some other genetic disorder. Whatever the reason, certain tests can help determine the health of your child while still inside your womb. They’re called prenatal tests.
Basically, two types of prenatal tests are available:
Diagnostic tests: These tests are typically done when a screening test has indicated a possible problem or when you or your child is at high risk of a certain condition. They can provide your health care provider with enough information to diagnose a medical condition while the child is still in the uterus. These tests generally are more invasive, more expensive and slightly riskier than screening tests. Again, the choice of whether to have these tests is largely yours, although your health care provider could offer one or more.
Screening tests: They’re safe, relatively inexpensive tests that are offered to large groups of people. These tests try to identify those who are more likely to be at risk of certain conditions. Their purpose is to indicate who might benefit from more narrowly focused diagnostic tests. Screening tests aren’t required, but your health care provider will probably ask whether you want to be tested.