Prenatal Testing

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Images

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Prenatal testing provides information about your baby's health before he or she is born. Some routine tests during pregnancy also check on your health. At your first prenatal visit, your health care provider will test for a number of things, including problems with your blood, signs of infections, and whether you are immune to rubella (German measles) and chickenpox.

Throughout your pregnancy, your health care provider may suggest a number of other tests, too. Some tests are suggested for all women, such as screenings for gestational diabetes, Down syndrome, and HIV. Other tests might be offered based on your:

• Age
• Personal or family health history
• Ethnic background
• Results of routine tests

Some tests are screening tests. They detect risks for or signs of possible health problems in you or your baby. Based on screening test results, your doctor might suggest diagnostic tests. Diagnostic tests confirm or rule out health problems in you or your baby.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health

Start Here

• Prenatal Tests (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Prenatal Tests (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Routine Tests in Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Screening Tests for Birth Defects (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• What Tests Might I Need during Pregnancy? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• How Reliable Is Laboratory Testing? (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Prenatal Testing: Is It Right for You? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Specifics

• Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Amniocentesis (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Amniotic Fluid Analysis (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Biophysical Profile (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Blood Glucose Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Cordocentesis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Cystic Fibrosis: Prenatal Screening and Diagnosis (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) Also in Spanish
• Fetal Echocardiography/Your Unborn Baby's Heart (American Heart Association)
• Fetal Ultrasound (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• First Trimester Down Syndrome Screen (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Glucose in Urine Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Group B Streptococcus and Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
• Obstetrical Ultrasound (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Prenatal Cell-Free DNA Screening (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Prenatal Genetic Diagnostic Tests (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Prenatal Genetic Screening Tests (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Prenatal Genetic Testing Chart (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
• Prenatal Tests for Down Syndrome (American College of Nurse-Midwives) - PDF
• Rh Factor Blood Test (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Second Trimester Maternal Serum Screening (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Special Tests for Monitoring Fetal Health (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF Also in Spanish

Images

• Amniocentesis - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Chorionic villus sampling - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Percutaneous umbilical cord blood sampling - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Prenatal ultrasound - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Amniocentesis (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Chorionic Villi Sampling (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Chorionic Villi Sampling (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ultrasonography, Prenatal (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ultrasonography, Prenatal (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Practice Bulletin No. 187: Neural Tube Defects.
• Article: How Does Imaging of Congenital Zika Compare with Imaging of...
• Article: Implementation effectiveness of revised (post-2010) World Health Organization guidelines on...
• Prenatal Testing -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Alpha fetoprotein (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Amniocentesis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Chorionic villus sampling (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Monitoring your baby before labor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nuchal translucency test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy ultrasound (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Quadruple screen test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish