| First Visit | Blood tests: To check the woman's blood group and sometimes, to check for presence of hepatitis B virus, which might be transmitted to the baby. |
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| Cervical smear test: To test for an early cancer of the cervix (if a
test has not been performed recently). Also called a Pap smear. |
| First Visit and Throughout the Pregnancy | Blood tests: To check for anemia in the woman, and in women with Rh-negative blood groups, to look for the presence of Rhesus antibodies. |
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| Urine test: To check for proteinuria, which could indicate a urinary tract
infection or preeclampsia. |
| Blood and urine test: To check for diabetes mellitus. |
| Blood pressure check: To screen for hypertension, which interferes with
blood supply to the placenta and is a sign of preeclampsia. |
| First Visit and After ANY Infection | Blood tests: To screen for rubella, which can cause defects in the baby, and for syphilis and HIV (the AIDS virus) which can also be passed on. |
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| First 12 Weeks | Chorionic villus sampling: May be performed if there is a risk of certain genetic (inherited) disorders being passed on. |
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| 16 to 18 Weeks | Ultrasound scanning: Is carried out to date the pregnancy accurately and to detect any abnormalities present in the fetus. |
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| Amniocentesis: Carried out on older women and those with spina bifida or Down's syndrome to detect possible abnormalities in the fetus. |
| Blood test: In some cases, the amount of alpha-fetoprotein in the blood is tested to determine whether the baby has spina bifida. |
| Fetoscopy and fetal blood sampling: In some cases, these are carried out if there is doubt about the normality of the baby. |
| High-risk or overdue pregnancies | Blood and urine tests: To assess placental function and fetus health. |
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| Electronic fetal monitoring: To check on the fetal heart beat. |
| Ultrasound scanning: Extra scans may be recommended to assess fetal growth and development, location of placenta, amount of amniotic fluid. |
