Examinations during pregnancy
During the pregnancy, proper care of the pregnancy and the baby's development is essential, considering all the factors that may affect baby’s health at birth and in the future. Pregnancy examinations provide useful information from the beginning of pregnancy to the first days of a newborn's life, help to identify the most common dangers, problems that arise during pregnancy.
At the centre, we perform all the examinations that may be needed during pregnancy:
- An examination to confirm the pregnancy,
- all tests required and recommended for pregnant women,
- non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT),
- PRISCA test,
- Coombs test for Rh (rhesus) conflict,
- a set of examinations indicated specifically for pregnant women.
What laboratory tests are REQUIRED during the first trimester of pregnancy?
- An automated blood test, also called a general blood cunt. As a prophylactic measure, this test should be performed at least 3-4 times during the pregnancy. Haemoglobin levels in the blood are especially important because of an increased iron demands during pregnancy anaemia often develops in pregnant women.
- Automated urinalysis. This test is done every time you visit a doctor.
- Urine bacteriological culture examination.
- Glucose test. Glucose metabolism can be impaired during pregnancy, and some pregnant women sometimes develop gestational diabetes.
- Determination of blood group and rhesus factor.
- Syphilis (RPR test).
- HIV testing.
- Hepatitis B (HbsAg) test. Hepatitis B is a viral infection that is transmitted during sexual intercourse and through the infected blood. The probability of transmitting the disease to the foetus during pregnancy is relatively low, but the risk of transmission during a childbirth is as high as 95 percent.
If the rhesus factor of the pregnant woman is RhD (-) and the rhesus factor of the babys’s father is RhD (+), such women during the second pregnancy are additionally tested for rhesus (RhD) antibodies during the first trimester and at 27-28 gestation week - an indirect Coombs' reaction is to be carried out. This test is important because it shows whether there is an increase in the antibody titre in the pregnant woman's blood. Antibodies can damage the foetus: foetal anaemia can occur during the intrauterine development, hydramnios and the damage of internal organs and brain occur.
What laboratory tests are RECOMMENDED during the first trimester of pregnancy?
The list of mandatory tests seems to be already considerable. But are they all really enough to make the new-born strong and healthy? The tests listed in this list are not mandatory, but are still recommended for pregnant women.
- Rubella IgG antibody testing. This test is carried out to assess the immunity against rubella. It is very important to know if you are ill, vaccinated against this infection and if your body already has immunity. If rubella develops during pregnancy, it can affect severely the health of the foetus - it can cause severe birth defects and developmental disorders.
- Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM antibody testing. These tests show whether you have had or are infected with toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease that is spread by cats. It is most commonly acquired through the consumption of poorly cooked food: meat, milk, dirty water or unwashed fruits, vegetables. If a pregnant woman becomes infected during the first trimester, there is a high risk of foetal malformation development or miscarriage. During the third trimester, the infection can spread more easily to the foetus. Such babies may experience seizures, jaundice, eye infections, enlarged liver and spleen. In many new-borns, the symptoms of toxoplasmosis may not occur immediately after birth, but may manifest in adolescence or later. In this case, toxoplasmosis is characterized by deafness, mental retardation, severe eye infections that can lead to blindness.
- CMV IgG and IgM antibody testing. These tests indicate current or past cytomegalovirus infection. The cytomegalovirus is prevalent worldwide. It is transmitted from another sick person by air droplets, during sex, through saliva. If a woman becomes infected with this virus in early pregnancy, she is at risk of miscarriage; also there is a risk of disorders in the development of different foetal organs as well as of heart defects. The infection in the late pregnancy is associated with the increased likelihood of preterm birth, auditory and optic nerve inflammation, mental and physical developmental disorders, and the f death in the first days of life.
- Measles IgG antibodies testing. This test is performed to assess immunity against measles. It is very important to know if you are ill, vaccinated against this infection and if your body already has immunity. Measles during pregnancy can lead to premature birth, miscarriage, low birth weight.
- PRISCA (prenatal risk assessment) testing is still not mandatory in Lithuania, however it is recommended for all pregnant women. This is a non-invasive blood test that assesses the risk of foetal chromosomal disease or other malformations based on the values of several marker concentrations, pregnancy and foetal ultrasound data. It identifies the risk of chromosomal diseases such as Down, Edwards, Patau syndromes or neural tube damage. This test is carried out at 11 to 13 gestation week, and for the second time– during the second trimester from 14 to 22 gestation week.
- Non-invasive prenatal examination (NIPT). This is a non-invasive maternal blood test for the risk of genetic diseases in the foetus. In the NIPT test, foetal DNA is extracted from the mother's blood and 'checked' for the most common changes in the number of chromosomes. It is the most accurate selective test for the risk of foetal genetic disease on the market, with an accuracy of> 99.9%.
Tests are performed from blood or urine, depending on the specifics of the test.
PRISCA or NIPT testing requires consultation with an obstetrician-gynaecologist or geneticist, during which an ultrasound examination of the foetus is carried out. Other tests do not require pre-registration.
The cost of pregnancy testing
What factors affect the price?
The prices indicated below apply to citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and the European Union.
If you are coming from another country please check the price by telephoning or sending an email.
Why it is worth
To be examined at our Centre?
- Your tests will be carried out ensuring high quality. This is confirmed by the laboratory's ISO 15189 accreditation.
- The results of the tests carried out in our laboratory will be commented by the laboratory specialists.
Only the few laboratories in the country provide such a service. - If necessary, we have the opportunity to carry out additional pregnancy tests from your blood sample taken within 7 days after the blood collection.
- There is no risk of damaging or confusing test samples during the transportation – which is statistically one of the most common causes of blood sample damage in laboratories.
Good to know
How to find out the test results?
- The results of your tests will be ready within 2 hours.
- The results of NIPT test – within 7 working days.
- You can pick them up at reception or we may send them to you by e-mail if you wish.
- For laboratory interpretation, contact the laboratory at tel. (8 5) 247 64 22.