PREGNANCYNOTES : What tests are you doing?

What tests are you doing?

What you need to know:

Dr Anthony Mugerwa, a gynaecologist at Abii Clinic, Wandegaya, in Kampala says although it is vital to carryout different tests during pregnancy to help doctors establish the state and health of the baby, some tests might be dangerous

During pregnancy, women experience various forms of health conditions. Some may be short lived, while others can go on throughout the pregnancy period. In this case, a pregnant woman may end up with various symptoms, prompting her to go to a health facility to undertake a test.

But some of these tests may not be necessary, this is why expectant mothers are always encouraged to speak to their doctors before they decide to carry out some tests.

Dr Anthony Mugerwa, a gynaecologist at Abii Clinic, Wandegaya, in Kampala says although it is vital to carryout different tests during pregnancy to help doctors establish the state and health of the baby, some tests might be dangerous.

These tests may include X-rays, radiotherapy, amniocentesis and radioactive images. Dr Mugerwa says X-rays should not be carried out on pregnant women because the radiation they produce may have negative effects on the baby.

With radiotherapy, Dr Mugerwa notes it can potentially harm the developing foetus and often times, pregnant women who already suffer from other pre-existing conditions are advised to postpone radiotherapy until after they have given birth. He says doing radiotherapy tests while pregnant could also cause conditions such as leukemia for the unborn.
In the case of amniocentesis tests, Dr Mugerwa says it is likely to cause abnormalities to the unborn child or even a miscarriage, especially if it is done before 15 weeks of the pregnancy.