Investigations and Healthcare during pregnancy

 Pregnancy and delivery are natural physiological events and in most cases they occur without complications. Nevertheless, they sometimes can lead to health problems for the mother and/or her baby, and that is why pregnant women always need to get adequate prenatal and delivery care in order to reduce the risk of any pregnancy-related complication.

 Prenatal care usually involves regular health care visits to a pregnancy specialist (gynaecologist and/or obstetrician), who can check the mother’s health status and monitor the development of the fetus. In addition, during pregnancy, a number of routine laboratory tests are usually carried out on all mothers. These include regular (usually monthly) urine and blood tests, as well as specific tests intended to rule out the presence of certain diseases such as cervical cancer (PAP test), gestational diabetes (glucose screening test) or AIDS (HIV test). 

 Tests and investigations on the fetus are important as well, since they allow doctors to monitor his health, growth and development. Ultrasound exams are used to produce images of the fetus at different stages of his development and are helpful to monitor his health and growth, as well as to determine his sex and exclude the presence of gross abnormalities. Screening tests for genetic defects (such as Down syndrome) are not always used, although they are highly recommended for women above 35 or when a family history of genetic defects exists.

What to expect during pregnancy

 It is important to remember that pregnancy involves certain physical changes that usually occur at different stages and include weight gain, breast changes, frequent urination, short breathing, lower-abdominal pain and sometimes gum bleeding and skin discolorations. Other common changes, which can cause mild discomfort but can be eased through proper treatment, include nausea and vomiting (especially during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy), constipation, backache, swelling, varicose veins, legs cramps and insomnia. Although discomfortable, all these changes have to be considered as “normal”, since they result from the hormonal changes that normally accompany pregnancy, as well as from the progressive growth of the baby and the uterus whose weight puts pressure on surrounding organs and tissues.

 The last stage of pregnancy culminates in labor, which marks the beginning of childbirth and is characterized by a progressive dilation of the cervix and the onset of uterine contractions, which become stronger, longer and closer together as labor progresses. Mothers and their babies need to be monitored closely during labor in order to prevent complications, help the natural delivery of the baby and evaluate the need of a caesarean section. The last is usually performed when natural (vaginal) delivery is not possible, due to several reasons, such as an excessively prolonged labor, a severe bleeding of the mother or a baby too large to be vaginally delivered. However, caesarean delivery can be also planned in advance and in this case it is usually performed some days before labor has a chance to start.

 We have made available in our resources section some Healthcare tools for your to calculate your Pregnancy due date easily with our Pregnancy due date Calculator. We have also set up a calculator to health you determine your ovulation with our Ovulation calculator.

Due to the great number of tests, investigations and visits required by pregnant women, the medical cost of pregnancy and delivery should be covered by an appropriate international health insurance plan.