Blood Tests During Pregnancy – All You Need to Know

Common blood tests during pregnancy

• Complete Blood Count (CBC):

This test is done to evaluate overall health of the mother and detect if there is presence of any blood abnormalities. For instance, low RBC count signifies that the mother may have anaemia. A low WBC count is a sign of high risk of infection, inflammation or any other condition and a low platelet count tells if there is any problem with blood clotting.

• Blood group:

Knowing blood group is important because if there is heavy bleeding during delivery, then a blood transfusion might be required.

• Rhesus (Rh) factor:

Rh factor is an inherited protein found on the surface of red blood cells and presence of this protein in blood means the mother is Rh positive or else she is Rh negative. If the mother is Rh negative but the baby is Rh positive, then it is called Rh incompatibility and it can lead to complications because the mother’s body will produce antibodies against the baby’s blood which can damage the RBCs of the foetus. In such cases, the mother will need an injection of Rh-immune globulin at 26-28 weeks or as advised by your doctor to protect the baby.

• Infections:

When pregnant, blood tests to check for any infectious diseases are conducted to detect presence of HIV, Hepatitis B, C, rubella, and syphilis. If detected, then it needs to be treated so as to reduce the risk of it getting transmitted to the baby.

• Gestational diabetes:

Gestational diabetes is a condition in which there’s too much glucose (sugar) in the blood and this usually develops during the 24th week of pregnancy. Hence, doctors recommend testing for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks as managing gestational diabetes is very important for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. If not controlled, then apart from raising complications for the mother, the baby too is at risk for being born prematurely.

• Sickle cell anaemia and Thalassaemia:

These are inherited blood disorders which can be serious. In case a baby is born with the same, they will need specialist care throughout their life.

• Down’s syndrome:

A test is conducted to know how likely it is for the unborn baby to get Down’s syndrome. The blood sample collected from the mother helps doctors to understand if the baby has a chance to be born with an extra chromosome. An ultrasound might also be conducted with the blood test.