Prenatal Check Ups in the First Term

Depending on your age, medical history, as well as other factors, it might be advisable you get one or several tests done that are designed to detect certain disease or genetic conditions. There are a variety of available tests including blood samples, amniocentesis etc.

These prenatal tests have as an objective to analyze the chromosomes of the growing baby. The chromosomes carry the genetic information which determines what a person is like. Generally a person has forty-six chromosomes, twenty-three are inherited from the mother , and twenty-three from the father. The twenty-three chromosomes that come from each progenitor form pairs inside the nucleus of every human cell. Twenty-two of these chromosomes are not related with the sex. The pair twenty-three corresponds to the sex, and can be chromosomes XX (girl) or chromosomes (XY) a boy.

Women have two X chromosomes; therefore this is the only one they can give to their children. Men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, and can therefore give either. This also means that the man is the one that determines the sex of the baby.

Certain abnormalities in the number of chromosomes or in their structure can bring about as a result a baby that has problems. For example, Down syndrome, which is one of the most common abnormalities and is associated with severe mental retardation, and can occur if a fetus has an additional copy of chromosome 21. An amniocentesis and other tests can detect these abnormalities in the number of chromosomes and in their structure, by showing an enlarged image of the individual chromosome. Additionally if the couple has a known risk of having a baby with a genetic abnormality that is present in one or both families or ethnic group, the doctor can use material that he or she obtained from the tests to see if these diseases are present. However, unless the couple is at under a specific risk of these rare genetic diseases, the doctor will not do these tests routinely; the chromosomes are checked, then only as far as number goes and structure.

Generally, women that are over the age of thirty-five are offered the opportunity to do prenatal diagnostic tests because at this age the risks of a baby having a chromosome abnormality increase. There is also a higher risk of spontaneous abortion due to same factor. However, while the risk of a chromosome abnormality is very inferior in women under thirty-five, most babies that are born with Down syndrome are from women under the age of thirty-five, due to the simple reason that they have more babies then women that are over thirty-five.

Amongst the women that are at risk of having chromosome problems, some still choose to not have this tests done because they do not want to run the associated risk of causing an abortion, or due to personal reasons concerning pregnancy.

Even if you rule out the possibility of interrupting your pregnancy, previous knowledge of fetus abnormalities can give you time to prepare for a child with special needs.

If you are under the age of thirty-five and still want to get the test to detect chromosome abnormalities of the baby, you have that right. However, it is possible your insurance may not cover this cost. Generally all women are offered tests to detect Down syndrome. Generally, the test consists of a blood test in which certain substances are measured that help to detect risk of having the syndrome.