I’m 15 weeks and have my booking in appointment this afternoon. I was wondering what blood tests do I genuinely need to have for the health of my baby?

As far as I know, I’ll be tested for:

- Blood group (I already know this and they should too after the three sets of bloods last pregnancy)
- Hepatitis/HIV (Again, I tested clear for these last time and haven’t slept with anyone else/shared any needles etc)
- Screening tests (I refused these last time as I wouldn’t want to have further tests or abort based on the results and I don’t want a false positive hovering over me for the next 6 months)

If anyone has any reason why I SHOULD have tests for the above, please mention now!

The ones I’m not sure about:
- Anemia (I think I may need this to be on the safe side?)
- Rhesus factor (No idea about this one… do I need this test during a second pregnancy?)

Any help/guidance appreciated!

Also, are there any other tests I should expect at the booking-in visit? I’m in the UK. If so, which ones would I actually need and which are just routine (like blood group)?

But If you are trying-to-conceive , every time you miss your period, your hopes that you are now finally pregnant go up. You do the pregnancy test with a lot of hope – and lots of prayers. You are scared to do it, because you do not want to get your hopes up, and you are worried that it maybe negative once again . You finally screw up your courage – even if the news is bad, it’s best to know the truth, you tell yourself – and then do the test.

What happens if the test is repeatedly negative ? A late period and recurring negative pregnancy test results can lead to a great deal of stress, worry, confusion, and conjecture on what might be happening…. If I’m not pregnant, then where is my period?!? Have I stopped ovulating all together ? What’s happened to my eggs ? Is my body going crazy ?

One possibility is that you are in fact pregnant , but the urine test result comes back negative. This is called a “false negative pregnancy test”? First, read all the instructions again and make sure you are doing the test properly. If you are, then a false negative result can occur if the test kit you are using is of low sensitivity. This means that the test is capable of detecting pregnancy only when the level of hCG reaches a certain threshold, and the test is simply not sensitive enough to yield the positive result.The best option is to do a blood test for checking your HCG level.This is very reliable !

If the test is negative , this means the reason you missed your periods is because you did not ovulate. This is called anovulation.

Anovulatory Cycle

By definition, an anovulatory cycle is a menstrual cycle in which ovulation fails to occur. This means that you do bleed but do not release an egg or ovulate. Hence the term anovulation. This is normally supposed to happen during menopause. If it does happen before then anovulation translates into difficulty in conception or infertility. Anovulatory cycles tend to occur occasionally throughout the childbearing years, but are most common during adolescence and in the years before menopause (“perimenopause”).

While anovulation and its role in infertility seems simple, the condition itself is quite complicated. Anovulation can arise from a number of causes, ranging from diet and exercise to complex disruptions in the relationships between tiny glands in the brain that control our most basic functions.

Many factors can cause a missed period because they disrupt your hormonal balance. These include increased stress, anxiety, travel, jet-lag, weight loss, exercise and sleeplessness.

As a remedy to stress and anxiety, regular exercise and a healthy diet are the key. In fact, good health is the cornerstone to successfully achieving pregnancy. On the other hand, being overweight or underweight can impact hormonal balance and cause irregularity, and in some cases prevent menstruation all together. Often, women who are long-distance runners or training for a marathon may have irregular cycles or even stop menstruating. This is simply a normal reaction to intense physical conditioning – a change in hormone balance. However, for women who are trying to conceive, a healthy diet and exercise regimen will reduce stress, get you in shape, and help balance your menstrual cycle.

Finally, if your period is very late and your pregnancy test is still negative, you may wish to talk with your doctor or Ob/Gyn regarding possible explanations or suggestions, health tips, or treatments. A pre-pregnancy check-up is always a good idea, anyway, if you are trying to conceive.

Author of the article is an IVF Fertility infertility specialist and runs fertility centre provides the best affordable quality infertility, fertility treatments with advanced reproductive technologies like IVF,ART, GIFT, ZIFT, TET, ICSI, donor egg, surrogate and surrogacy services for all.

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