Blood Drug Testing

Blood tests during pregnancy?

if dr doesnt call tomorrow im going to call. i had blood drawn friday morning - the quad test (just for safe call not b/c i have any in family) i had a blood test to check my blood type and a thyroid check my previous dr up until friday never checked any of this so i switched drs, ive been bleeding non stop for 10 weeks straight im 16 weeks 1) what is a thyroid test? whats it mean if i have a high one? 2) my mom thinks i have - blood type, will they test my husband before i have to take a shot if thats the case? my dr ever even checked my blood type, i know you need a shot if its - so you dont lose the baby? i have no clue 3) whats else does teh quad test check for besides down syndrom? seriuoslly bleeding for 10 weeks straight i have been monitored by drs and been to the ER NOONE KNOWS WHY IM BLEEDING thats why i switched to a better hosptial and dr i have a high risk ultrasound this week to check everything yes i have period cramping w/ the blood ive had 5 ultrasounds allready baby is fine and growing and has a strong heartbeat, like i said i switched to a better dr b/c my dr kept saying im ok im ok so now i am having a high risk ultrasound to check placenta and babys blood flow ect....this week thanks i understand the thyroid thing now, i'll just wait on all the blood work for a week, i get that ultrasound this week so hopefully they find something there thats causing the bleeding thanks again =)

Public Comments

1. bleeding for 10 weeks straight????? I would have gone to the ER after 1 week.
2. 1] im not sure what a thyroid test is. i think it has to do with hormones 2] im sure that you can request your husband being tested before they give you the RH shot, you dont loose the baby. its just a precaution in case your blood mixes with the babies blood. you blood and babies blood NEVER mix unless a serious complication occurs. thats why mothers and babies dont always have the same blood type 3]it tests for all kinds of genetic defects like spina bifida and trismy18 EDIT: i am curious as to what your DR said about the bleeding?
3. hun go to the doc asap... you could have torn your placenta or any number of things you should not be bleeding that much during pregnancy... then worry about the test results later... the continual bleeding is in way more need of attention at the moment.
4. I have no clue on the thyroid check, but the Rh- blood type is checked for when they first draw blood from you and that should have been on your first visit. If you just had the blood drawn on Friday, it is way toooooo early to call 2morrow. Tests usually don't come back for about a week or so. you need to be patient, if anything is wrong, the Doctor will inform you. I'm Rh- and the shot is given at 28 weeks(no earlier or later than that) and again after birth if the baby is positive and you are in fact negative, it's good to know the fathers blood type, but it's not necessary. The only thing you have to look forward to right now is an ultrasound. At around 26 weeks they will give you a glucose test to check your blood sugars.
5. 1) http://www.endocrineweb.com/pregnancy.html 2) I dont think they need to test the husbands-with my 2 pregnancies they never tested him. 3)The quad screen 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. High levels of AFP may suggest that the developing baby has a neural tube defect such as spina bifida or anencephaly. However, the most common reason for elevated AFP levels is inaccurate dating of the pregnancy. Low levels of AFP and abnormal levels of hCG and estriol may indicate that the developing baby has Trisomy 21(Down syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome) or another type of chromosome abnormality. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/prenataltesting/quadscreen.html NOT to scare you-just relax-but I would definately call your doctor tomorrow-bleeding for 10 weeks is not good. Did your last doctor do an ultrasound? If not your doctor should-make sure baby is still there and fine. When your bleeding is there any pain or cramping? I had a miscarriage at 7 weeks.I dont want to scare you but you def. need to get checked out and figured out why youre bleeding and why for so long,
6. 1) the thyroid test checks your thyroid levels to see if your thyroid is producing too much or too little thyroid hormone. Its not a huge deal... a lot of people's thyroids are out of wack. A simple pill can control it, but it isn't an emergent thing. They'll get it controlled eventually if need be. 2) I think you're talking about the Rh factor. If you have a negative Rh factor (example A-, B-, AB-, O-), and your partner is Rh positive (example A+, B+...), that would make baby a positive Rh, then you would need a Rhogam shot. What happens is that when you are pregnant with your first baby, your blood would be exposed to baby's positive blood.. that is no big deal. The problem occurs whenever you get pregnant with your second baby. Your blood would have made antigens that were made to fight off "+" foreign bodies. Your second baby (if to the same partner) would be a +, therefore your body would start attacking your baby. Not good. So they give you the shot anytime you are Rh negative because they don't want to try to figure out who the daddy is. 3) Quad test tests for abnormal levels of a certain hormone that could indicate a number of birth defects. It also tests for many syndromes etc. Not everything can be detected, but its the best test we have.