Can You Sleep Your Way to Conception?
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WAHMFetal Kick Counts
| Who Takes It? | The Purpose | Risk Factor | Method |
| Beginning when movement can be felt. All Women can perform this easy test. | To provide reassurance of the fetus' well-being. | None | The expectant mother counts her baby's movements for 10 to 30 minutes every day. If there is a 50 percent or greater decline in the number of movements, her doctor will order more tests. |
Glucose Screening
| Who Takes It? | The Purpose | Risk Factor | Method |
| At about 26 weeks. Offered by most doctors, but especially to women who are obese, over 30, or have a family history of diabetes. | To check for gestational diabetes, a condition that produces sometimes overlooked symptoms yet can affect the fetus' blood sugar levels and cause rapid weight gain. In this case, the baby may grow too large for vaginal delivery. | None | After consuming eight ounces of a prescribed sugary drink, the expectant mother's blood is tested. If gestational diabetes is present, most often it can be controlled by diet and/or insulin; the condition often disappears after delivery. |
Electronic Fetal Monitoring
| Who Takes It? | The Purpose | Risk Factor | Method |
| After 28 weeks. Women with diabetes, high blood pressure, or other pregnancy-related complications. | To monitor and evaluate the baby's heartbeat. | None | A fetal heart monitor is placed on the mother's abdomen. The monitor ejects sound waves created by blood flow in the fetus' heart and produces a printout of the fetal heart rate. |
Biophysical Profile
| Who Takes It? | The Purpose | Risk Factor | Method |
| Around 28 weeks. Women with diabetes, high blood pressure, or other pregnancy-related complications. | To evaluate the fetus' movements, muscle tone, breathing patterns, heart rate, and the amount of amniotic fluid. | None | This test combines ultrasound-manned, heart rate monitoring to indicate whether or not the fetus is in distress. |
Group B Strep
| Who Takes It? | The Purpose | Risk Factor | Method |
| Between 35-37 weeks. All women should be tested. | To test for group B streptococcus, which can be passed from mother to infant during childbirth. GBS can cause severe illness, hearing and vision loss, and even death for infants. | None | A sample is taken from the vagina and rectum for testing, and then antibiotics are administered during delivery if necessary. |