Pregnancy Procedures and Tests in Santa Rosa

Pregnancy Monitoring

Pregnancy test

If you think you may be pregnant, you can do a simple urine pregnancy test at home. When you get a positive pregnancy test, please call for an appointment in our office within 1-2 weeks.  We do have office pregnancy tests if you would like a confirmation test.

Prenatal blood tests

Once you are pregnant, we will be ordering a series of blood tests that are routine for every pregnancy. These include:

• Blood type and antibody screen
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Hepatitis B
• Rubella
• Rapid plasma reagin test for syphilis
• HIV
• Urinalysis and urine culture if indicated
• Other tests may be ordered by your provider

Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (optional)

Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) is a screening test for trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), trisomy 18 and trisomy 13. This test is a blood test done on you and does not have any risk for the pregnancy.

Nuchal Translucency Screening (optional)

Nuchal Translucency Screening or NT screening, is a specific ultrasound performed on the fetus between 11 and 13 weeks of pregnancy. This test specifically checks for increased fluid at the base of the fetal neck— an area known as the nuchal fold — to evaluate for the possibility of a chromosomal problem such as Down Syndrome.

Alpha-fetoprotein Screening (optional)

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) screening is a blood test that is done between 16 and 18 weeks of pregnancy. AFP Screening can evaluate the fetus for the risk of neural tube defects.

Baby’s Anatomy Scan Ultrasound

You can have your initial ultrasounds done at our office. Once the fetus is over 14 weeks, we will recommend that you schedule your baby’s anatomy scan that will be done with a specialized team that handles prenatal diagnosis.  This anatomy scan is generally done between 18 and 20 weeks to get the best view of the baby’s internal organs.

Glucose tolerance test (GTT)

Between 24–28 weeks of pregnancy, we will request a blood test to check for diabetes in pregnancy. For this test, you will be given a sweet drink when you arrive at the laboratory. You will then have blood drawn one and two hours later to test your blood sugar levels. It is best if you can do this test fasting.

Group B Strep

At 35–37 weeks, we will recommend a vaginal culture to test for Group B Strep bacteria. This bacteria is present in 20 % of healthy women. If your results show that you are positive for this bacteria, antibiotics therapy will be recommended in labor to prevent infection in your newborn.

Weekly internal exams

At 35-37 weeks of your pregnancy, we will begin performing weekly internal exams to check for cervical dilation.

Non-stress test (NST)

Non Stress Tests may be recommended for a variety of reasons to monitor the wellbeing of your baby. The baby’s heart rate is monitored to check the heart rate This is often combined with a bedside ultrasound to check the fluid around the baby.  These tests are commonly used to evaluate fetal wellbeing.