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What are the pre-pregnancy medical checkup items?

Dec 20, 2024 Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Lu
Introduction
In general, pregnancy refers to gestation. Pre-pregnancy medical checkups include blood routine tests, urine routine tests, reproductive system examinations, liver function tests, hepatitis B virus screening (two pairs and a half), and thyroid function tests. It is also important to adjust lifestyle habits, including maintaining a balanced diet, quitting smoking and alcohol consumption, engaging in appropriate physical activity, practicing good hygiene, discontinuing contraceptive use in advance, and maintaining a positive mindset.

Generally speaking, pregnancy refers to gestation. Pre-pregnancy physical examination items include routine blood tests, routine urine tests, reproductive system examinations, liver function and hepatitis B surface antigen tests, and thyroid function tests. Detailed explanations are as follows:

1. Routine Blood Test

A routine blood test helps understand whether a woman has blood-related problems such as anemia. For example, hemoglobin levels can indicate the presence of anemia. If there is severe anemia before pregnancy, it can worsen during pregnancy due to increased demand for iron and other nutrients as the fetus develops, affecting both the mother's health and the normal development of the fetus.

2. Routine Urine Test

A routine urine test mainly detects components in the urine, including urinary protein, glucose, white blood cells, red blood cells, etc. Abnormal urinary protein may indicate kidney disease. During pregnancy, the burden on the kidneys increases, and pre-existing kidney issues may worsen. Positive urine glucose may be a sign of diabetes. Developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy increases the risk of fetal macrosomia and premature birth, so it is important to know the urine glucose status before pregnancy.

3. Reproductive System Examination

This mainly includes gynecological examinations, vaginal discharge tests, and cervical smears. Gynecological examinations allow direct observation of the appearance and structure of the reproductive organs to detect abnormalities such as malformations. Vaginal discharge tests can detect vaginal inflammation, such as fungal vaginitis and trichomoniasis. If these inflammations exist before pregnancy, they may worsen during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. Inflammation may also spread upward and affect the fetus.

4. Liver Function and Hepatitis B Antigen-Antibody Tests

Liver function tests can assess the functional status of the liver; levels of enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) indicate whether liver cells are damaged. During pregnancy, the burden on the liver increases, so understanding liver function before pregnancy helps prevent the occurrence of liver diseases during pregnancy. Hepatitis B antigen-antibody tests determine whether there is a hepatitis B virus infection and whether there are antibodies. If a woman is a hepatitis B virus carrier, appropriate measures such as mother-to-child transmission prevention should be taken during pregnancy to prevent transmission of the hepatitis B virus to the fetus.

5. Thyroid Function Test

Thyroid hormones play an important role in the development of the fetal nervous system and body metabolism. Testing thyroid function, including indicators such as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4), can identify conditions such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. For example, if hypothyroidism during pregnancy is not treated in a timely manner, it may lead to delayed intellectual development in the fetus.

Generally, it is important to adjust lifestyle habits, including balanced nutrition, quitting smoking and alcohol, moderate exercise, maintaining hygiene, discontinuing contraceptive pills in advance, and maintaining a positive mindset.

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