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Prenatal Tests

Every parent-to-be hopes for a healthy baby, but it can be hard not to worry: What if the baby has a serious or untreatable health problem? What would I do? Would it be my fault?



Concerns like these are completely natural. Fortunately, though, a wide array of tests for pregnant women can help to reassure them and keep them informed throughout their pregnancies.

Every parent-to-be hopes for a healthy baby, but it can be hard not to worry: What if the baby has a serious or untreatable health problem? What would I do? Would it be my fault?

Concerns like these are completely natural. Fortunately, though, a wide array of tests for pregnant women can help to reassure them and keep them informed throughout their pregnancies.

Prenatal tests can help identify - and sometimes treat - health problems that could endanger both you and your unborn child. However, they do have limitations. As an expectant parent, it's important to educate yourself about these tests and to think about what you would do if a health problem is detected in either you or your baby.

Why Are Prenatal Tests Performed?

Prenatal tests can identify several different things:

• treatable health problems in the mother that can affect the baby's health
  
• characteristics of the baby, including size, sex, age, and placement in the uterus
  
• the chance that a baby has certain congenital, genetic, or chromosomal problems
  
• certain types of fetal abnormalities, including heart problems