QuestionTHANKS FOR THE QUICK RESPONSE. I HAVE ONLY BEEN TO THIS OFFICE ONE TIME SO I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WOULD LET ME COME IN OR NOT FOR A QUICK VISIT. THEY DO NOT DO ANY ULTRASOUNDS UNTIL AROUND 17 WEEKS OR A LITTLE AFTER. AS FAR AS THE BLOOD TEST GO HOW ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT WAITING UNTIL A PATIENT IS 14 WKS ALONG FOR THE FIRST ONES? THANKS AGAIN AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO.
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I AM 10WKS WITH MY 5TH. I DIDN'T HAVE MY FIRST VISIT UNTIL MY 9TH WK WHICH I WAS TO EARLY TO HEAR A HEARTBEAT AND THE OB DOESNT DO BLOODWORK UNTIL THE 14TH WK. SO MY NEXT APPT WILL BE AT 14WKS SO I WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEN TO BE ABLE TO HEAR A HEARTBEAT AND HAVE BLOOD WORK DONE. I GUESS I CAN WAIT FOR THE BLOOD WORK BUT HAVING TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH TO HEAR IF THERE IS A HEARTBEAT WILL KILL ME. IN YOUR OPINION IS 14 WKS LATE TO HAVE YOUR FIRST BLOOD WORK AND WOULD YOU LET SOMEONE IN MY SHOES COME IN JUST TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE HEARTBEAT TO MAKE THEM FEEL BETTER?
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Dear Christina,
It really depends upon the rapport you have with your doctor/nurses in the office. If you have a good rapport with them, you should be able to call the nurse up and say, "Hey 'Susie', here's the deal... I'm fretting over this. Would it be possible for me to pop in over there real quick sometime when you know you won't be real busy and let me see if we can hear it?" I'd think they'd be glad to accommodate you. However, I'm from a moderate-sized city - it may be different in a larger city.
Does your doctor not do an ultrasound in the 1st trimester? This would be an excellent opportunity to see the heartbeat, confirm dates, and most doctors do this early on anymore.
I hope you are able to get some peace of mind soon! Until then, unless you have symptoms that would indicate a problem, try to rest easy. Have a merry Christmas!
Brenda
AnswerDear Christina,
It really is dependent upon doctor's preference. Most doctor's in my particular area do ultrasounds in the first trimester to confirm dates and healthy, uterine implanted pregnancies. Ultrasounds to confirm dates are more accurate early on. However, I can't say that ALL do, or that it is absolutely necessary. Most doctors also run a blood test at the first prenatal visit to assess blood type (A, B, AB, and O), Rh factor (Rh positive or negative), glucose, iron and hemoglobin levels. It would also be used to assess whether you are immune to rubella, to see if you have a sexually transmitted disease, or to see if you have a toxoplasmosis infection.
As far as other blood work, they can do a screen in either the 1st or 2nd trimester. Most run a Quad Screen or a Triple Screen early in the 2nd trimester. The Quad Screen looks for four specific substances: AFP, hCG, Estriol, and Inhibin-A. It measures high and low levels of AFP, abnormal levels of hCG and estriol, and high levels of Inhibin-A. The results are combined with the mother's age and ethnicity in order to assess probabilities of potential genetic disorders and identify the need for further testing to diagnose if an abnormality exists.
The Triple Screen looks for all of those substances except the Inhibin-A. The screen is essentially the same as the screening tests that look for only the three substances, except the likelihood of identifying pregnancies at risk for Down Syndrome is higher through the evaluation of Inhibin-A levels. The false positive rate of the test is also lower.
I am assuming these are the blood tests you were referring to. I can't help myself but to be interested in why, on your 5th baby, you're using an unfamiliar MD. Your life circumstances must have changed. I'm just getting a sense that you may not be completely comfortable with this one, which is always important. Anyway - I hope this information helps you and answers your questions. Feel free to write again with additional questions and I wish you well!
Brenda
