Prenatal care

New ultrasound equipment now provides us with 3D/ 4D technology which can show unforgettable, vivid colour images of your baby.

However, the quality of the images of your unborn child not only depends on the actual equipment, but also other factors such as the position of the baby, location of the placenta, amount of amniotic fluid or how thick the mother’s abdominal wall is.

Doppler sonography is a special examination method. It allows the doctor to obtain additional information about the direction, speed and intensity of the blood flow inside the vessels, and thus to find out how well the fetus is being supplied.

NT screening is a screening procedure which measures the amount of fluid between the skin and the clear tissue over the spine at the base of the neck of the unborn child in the 12th-14th week of gestation. If the nuchal translucency is elevated, the probability of different anomalies is considered higher.

Very high concentrations of AFP in the mother’s blood are considered an indication of a neural tube defect in the unborn child. The laboratory can be requested to perform this as an isolated test.

The triple test is so named because it determines three different parameters in the mother’s blood: AFP, hCG and uE3. These values and various other information are used to determine the specific risk of down syndrome and neural tube defect. This test can also determine if pregnant women under the age of 35 are at higher risk of having a child with a chromosomal anomaly.

People are usually infected orally, either due to eating raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal, or by transferring the pathogens from the hand, e.g. when gardening, etc., to the mouth. If a pregnant woman becomes infected and is not treated immediately, the risk of infection for the unborn child during the first trimester is estimated at about 20%, during the second trimester at about 30%, and during the final trimester at about 60%. However, the earlier in the pregnancy that the infection occurred, the greater the risk to the unborn child. In Central Europe, 30-60% of women of childbearing age are seronegative, i.e. unprotected. In other countries, toxoplasmosis screening has therefore been mandatory for years.

If a pregnant woman is infected with fifth disease, in about one third of cases the virus can be transmitted to the unborn child through the placenta. The virus particularly afflicts cells which produce red blood cells, ultimately destroying them. The haematopoietic cells in the liver and bone marrow are particularly affected, which can result in a major reduction in effective red blood cells and thus severe anaemia in the unborn child (in about 10% of the cases where the virus was transmitted to the unborn).

Whilst the human cytomegalovirus is harmless for healthy adults, during pregnancy the virus can be extremely dangerous and can be life-threatening to the unborn baby. A viral CMV infection is one of the most common infections which can be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy. About 0.3-1% of all pregnant women become infected with the virus and in 40% of cases the infection is transmitted to the unborn child. An infection during the first or second trimester can cause deformities in the child.

This disease, which is transmitted from raw meat or raw milk products, can be life-threatening for the child.

Group B streptococci are bacteria and one of the most common causes of severe infections in the newborn. A simple, complication-free microbiological test at the end of the pregnancy can determine if the vagina or the bowels are infected with the pathogen. If Group B streptococci are detected, in most cases measures can be taken during birth to prevent the newborn from becoming infected.

Preeclampsia is one of the most common complications during pregnancy and birth. It affects about 5% of pregnant women. The morbidity and mortality rate for mother and child is not insignificant. The clinical manifestation ranges from mild to severe. The actual causes are still not absolutely clear, however two factors in vessel development have been identified as significant biomarkers. The preeclampsia test is based on an elevation in the ratio of these biomarkers. An abnormally high ratio already indicates that there is a risk some time before the clinical manifestation. As a result, the high-risk patient should be monitored closely.

From the 14th week of gestation: This test is not part of the prenatal care guidelines.

Assurance in 5 minutes with Actim PROM

Actim Prom is a reliable test to rule out premature rupture of membranes. It determines the quality of the amniotic fluid with the help of antibodies. The sample is taken from the back of the vaginal vault, with or without a speculum. If the test is positive, the probability of a rupture of the membranes is 91%. If the result in negative, there is over 90% chance that a rupture of the membranes has not occurred. www.genogyn.de [link not working]

From the 15th week of gestation: This test is not part of the prenatal care guidelines.

Assurance in 5 minutes with Actim Partus
Three quarters of all pregnant women who experience premature labour do not deliver prematurely. Actim Partus determines who they are. If the test is negative, there is an over 92% chance that the patient will not deliver prematurely within one week of the test. This knowledge puts pregnant women at ease – particularly important for high risk pregnancies, those who experienced problems with previous pregnancies, or prior to travel. However, if the test is positive, this does not mean that a premature birth is about to occur – but there is a greater risk, which should be investigated. www.genogyn.de

From the 24th week of gestation: This test is not part of the prenatal care guidelines.

for nausea, heartburn, sciatica, varicose veins, galactostasis, etc.

Acupuncture is one of the oldest medical treatments. Acupuncture performed by a skilled person has practically no side effects and is an effective alternative to so-called conventional medicine, particularly during pregnancy.

A study by the Frauenklinik Mannheim (Mannheim Women’s Clinic) proves that the procedure shortens the duration of labour for first-born children by several hours. Other proven applications in addition to nausea are headaches, back pain and sciatica. But it is also commonly used to prepare for the birth, for abnormal positions and for problems nursing.

This method of injecting customised substances in specific locations is also virtually free of side effects and can for example be helpful with smoking cessation during pregnancy. But it’s also effective for treating back pain, sleep problems, etc.