Antepartum Diagnostic Testing
The usual schedule for antepartum health care visits is every 4 weeks for the first 28 to 32 weeks, every
2 weeks from 32 to 36 weeks, and every week from 36 to 4 weeks.
Listed below are the different diagnostic testing done to pregnant women. Complete the table by filling
out the columns of each test.
Test
1.Blood type and Rh factor
2.Rubella titer
3. Hemoglobin and hematocrit
4. Papanicolaou’s smear
5. Sexually Transmitted Infection
6. Sickle Cell screening
7. Tuberculin Skin test
8. Hep B Surface Antigen
What is tested
A blood type and Rh factor test is a blood test that determines
your blood type (A, B, AB or O) and whether you have the Rh
factor, a protein on the surface of red blood cells1. This is
important during pregnancy because if you are Rh-negative and
the baby is Rh-positive, you may have a condition called Rh
incompatibility, which can cause serious problems for the
baby. The test is usually done in the first trimester of
pregnancy.
A rubella blood test checks to see if you have antibodies to the
rubella virus.
Hemoglobin and hematocrit are tests that measure the amount
and concentration of red blood cells in the blood. These tests
are important for pregnant women because they indicate the
oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Pregnancy increases the
demand for oxygen and iron, and can cause lower than normal
levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit if the woman does not
have enough iron to make more blood.
A Pap smear, also called a Pap test, is a procedure to test for
cervical cancer in women. A Pap smear involves collecting cells
from your cervix — the lower, narrow end of your uterus that's
at the top of your vagina. Detecting cervical cancer early with a
Pap smear gives you a greater chance at a cure. A Pap smear
can also detect changes in your cervical cells that suggest
cancer may develop in the future. Detecting these abnormal
cells early with a Pap smear is your first step in halting the
possible development of cervical cancer.
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) is a bacterial or viral illness
you can catch from having vaginal, oral, or anal sex with
someone who is infected.
The test involves placing a needle in to the womb through
the woman’s abdomen (tummy) and obtaining a small sample
of the fluid in which the baby floats (the amniotic fluid).
The tuberculin skin test is considered safe during pregnancy. It’s
done routinely without any serious side effects. The skin test
involves injecting a constituent of the tuberculosis, or TB,
bacteria into the skin, sort of like certain allergy tests.
A blood test can indicate whether certain hepatitis B antigens

9. Urinalysis and urine culture
10. Ultrasonography
11. Biophysical profile
12. Doppler Blood flow
13. Percutaneous Umbilical blood
sampling
14. alpha-fetoprotein screening
15. Chorionic villi sampling
16. Amniocentesis
17. Kick counts
18. Fern Test
19. Nitrazine test
20. Non-stress test
21. Contraction stress test
are present in the bloodstream. An antigen is a substance in the
body that stimulates an immune response. Blood tests may also
look for hepatitis B antibodies, which the immune system
produces to fight infection.
A urine culture test can identify bacteria or yeast causing a
urinary tract infection (UTI). If bacteria multiply, an antibiotic
sensitivity test can identify the antibiotic most likely to kill those
particular bacteria.
A technique using echoes of ultrasound pulses to delineate
objects or areas of different density in the body.
Body movements, muscle tone, breathing movements,
amniotic fluid, and heartbeat.
A Doppler ultrasound is atest that uses sound waves to show
blood moving through blood vessels
Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS) is a diagnostic
procedure in which a small sample of blood is taken from the
umbilical cord of a fetus during pregnancy
Alpha-fetoprotein screening is a blood test that checks the level
of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the mother’s blood during
pregnancy12. AFP is a protein normally made by the baby’s
liver12. The test can help detect certain genetic problems and
birth defects in the baby, such as Down syndrome, spina bifida,
or neural tube defects
A small sample of the placenta is taken using a slender needle
inserted through the abdomen, and the sample is then
examined in a laboratory.
Genetic amniocentesis involves taking a sample of amniotic
fluid and testing the DNA from the cells for diagnosis of certain
conditions, such as Down syndrome.
A way to monitor the health of an unborn baby.
A measurement of estrogenic activity; cervical mucus smears
form a fern pattern at those times when estrogen secretion is
elevated, as at the time of ovulation.
Nitrazine test is a pH indicator dye used in medicine to
determine the pH of fluids in the vagina.
Test that measures fetal heart rate and reaction to movement.
A contraction stress test is performed near the end of
pregnancy to determine how well the fetus will cope with the
contractions of childbirth.