Push for Antenatal Screening During Pregnancy

A push for tighter and more wide spread antenatal screening during pregnancy was called for, when a recent study from the Australian research in northern Victoria showed that 80% of low-risk pregnant women have insufficient vitamin D levels. That’s right a staggering 80%.

The study involved 330 women attending routine antenatal clinics in Shepparton also found 28% have mild deficiency and 7% have moderate to severe deficiency during winter and drops to 12% and 3% respectively in the summer months.

So what is antenatal screening and why the sudden push?

The push for antenatal screening tests is not sudden and has been ongoing with strong support from the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

The aim of antenatal care is to safeguard the health and well-being of both mother and baby during pregnancy.

It enables obstetricians to identify potential problems in the early stages of pregnancy which, if not addressed or treated, could result in increased risk for mother and baby.

I know it can be scary taking such screenings as test can discover diseases you never thought existed or conditions you never want to know about.

For the benefit of the mother and the child, I urge every women of any race or background to conduct a routine antenatal screening. The visit can provide health information about the woman which may alter the management of her pregnancy and provide for her long-term health care.

The screening may involve:

– Blood group and anti-body screening

– STDs screening

– Cervical cytology

– Full blood examination

– Screening for Down syndrome

– Screening for gestational diabetes

– screening for mineral and vitamin deficiencies

Most health issues are easily treated. To encourage a healthy delivery and to provide the optimal health for your new born, it is highly recommended to perform such screenings during pregnancy. I know it can be very difficult, but be brave my friend.

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