Don't Forget, Pregnant Women Need To Have Blood Tests

Blood tests or blood sampling for laboratory examinations need to be done routinely by pregnant women. The aim is to find out whether pregnant women experience certain diseases, such as infection or lack of blood, and to detect abnormalities in the fetus. By carrying out medical examinations including blood tests, potential problems during pregnancy can be detected as early as possible. Appropriate and quick handling can also be done to prevent more serious conditions. To determine when the right time to undergo a blood test, discuss with your doctor or midwife when undergoing routine pregnancy checks.

Types of Blood Tests for Pregnant Women

Here are some types of blood tests that are needed while pregnant, namely:

• Complete blood test

This test is needed to find out whether the levels of hemoglobin in the red blood cells of pregnant women are normal or too little, which means a sign of anemia. In addition, this test can also be done to calculate the amount of white blood. If you have an increase in white blood cells, it means that pregnant women may have an infection.

• Blood type test, antibodies, and resus factors

Blood type tests are performed to find out blood type (A, B, AB, or O) and blood counts of pregnant women (negative or positive resusions). If the recusion is different from the fetus, pregnant women will be given immunoglobulin injections to prevent the formation of antibodies that can attack fetal blood.

• Blood sugar test

Checking the blood sugar level of pregnant women is usually done in the second trimester of pregnancy. However, your doctor may recommend an early blood sugar test for pregnant women who are overweight, have given birth to a child weighing above 4.5 kilograms before, or have a history of gestational diabetes.

• Immune test against rubella (German measles)

If pregnant women are infected with rubella early in pregnancy, the fetus in the womb can experience serious disabilities, miscarriages, or stillbirth. Therefore, it is important to do this test to find out whether pregnant women already have immunity against this virus. If not, pregnant women are advised to avoid contact with rubella-infected people.

• HIV testing

HIV infection that causes AIDS in pregnant women can be transmitted to the fetus during pregnancy, during childbirth, or during breastfeeding. In Indonesia, all pregnant women in areas with high HIV cases, or pregnant women with risky behavior, are advised to undergo HIV testing. No need to worry or feel free to do this test. The health facility where the HIV test is carried out will provide VCT services and guarantee the confidentiality of the patient's status while undergoing an HIV examination. If it turns out that the pregnant woman is HIV positive, medical treatment will be carried out to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to the baby and prevent the development of HIV infection becoming more severe.

• Syphilis test

Pregnant women with risky sexual behavior or have symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases are also advised to do a syphilis test. Untreated syphilis can cause severe defects in babies, even in more fatal cases, babies can be born dead. If a pregnant woman is diagnosed with syphilis, the doctor will give penicillin antibiotics to treat the disease and prevent transmission of syphilis to the fetus.

• Hepatitis B test

The hepatitis B virus can cause serious liver disease. Hepatitis B can be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy. As a result, babies have a high risk for long-term hepatitis virus infection and suffer from liver disease later in life. Therefore, pregnant women need to undergo blood tests to detect the hepatitis B virus early on, and get treatment if the test results are positive. At birth, babies of mothers with hepatitis B need to get hepatitis B immunization as soon as possible (no later than 12 hours after birth).

In addition, it is important to do a blood pressure check every time a pregnant woman controls a midwife or doctor. An increase in blood pressure in the later period of pregnancy can be a sign of preeclampsia. If preeclampsia is not treated, the consequences can be dangerous for both mother and fetus. In order for her health and the health of her fetus to be maintained during pregnancy, pregnant women need to regularly take the time to do a periodic obstetric examination to the obstetrician.