If you plan to have a baby, then do not forget that pregnancy is a very serious test for the woman's body. The future mummy can exacerbate chronic diseases, reduce immunity and the woman will become vulnerable to various infectious diseases, many of which pose a huge danger to the health of the unborn baby.
Strike on TORCH infections
Even at the stage of preparation for pregnancy, a doctor can offer you to take a blood test for antibodies to TORCH-infections (rubella, herpes, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus). These diseases pose a serious threat to the child. They have a detrimental effect on the system and organs of the fetus, in particular, on the nervous system, increasing the risk of miscarriage, the birth of a dead child and malformations in the baby. Primary infection of these infections by a pregnant woman will cause the need for abortion. But if antibodies to TORCH-infections in the blood are found before pregnancy, then a woman can easily become a mother, they do not threaten a child.
It is especially important that in the blood of a pregnant woman there are antibodies to rubella, so if there is no immunity to this disease or if the antibody titer (number) is low during pregnancy, recommend vaccination until the woman becomes pregnant.
Blood for antibodies to TORCH-infections is given at the 8th week of pregnancy. In the presence of antibodies IgM, we can talk about the ongoing disease. If IgG antibodies are found in the blood, then this indicates that the woman has become infected before pregnancy, and the infection is not dangerous for the child.
Rhesus-conflict and pernicious antibodies
The occurrence of Rh-conflict is possible if the Rh factor of the mother and fetus does not coincide. In the event that the baby has a positive rhesus, the probability of a rhesus-conflict is much higher than in the opposite situation and the consequences are much more serious.
With a negative Rhesus factor of the future mother's blood, and a positive in the father, the occurrence of Rh-conflict with the fetus, 75% of cases are observed. In the blood of a woman, protective antibodies begin to be produced, which get into the blood of a child, destroy red blood cells. The fetus begins to lack oxygen and can develop hemolytic disease. Pregnant in this case regularly passes a blood test for antibodies. If the number of antibodies increases, this indicates the onset of Rhesus-conflict and urgent measures must be taken. Pregnant women are given antirezus immunoglobulin at 7 months of pregnancy and 3 days after birth.
During pregnancy, not only the Rhesus-conflict with the negative blood group is possible, but with the same rhesus, but different blood groups of parents, there can also be Rh-conflict.
On what else antibodies hand over a blood at pregnancy?
During pregnancy, you can take tests for antibodies to several serious diseases - syphilis, HIV, hepatitis, chlamydia infection, ureaplasmosis. These tests are performed twice - at the first stage of pregnancy and on the eve of birth.
In special cases when planning pregnancy, the doctor will offer you to pass an analysis for antibodies to the sperm of the husband, especially if previous pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Normally, antisperm antibodies are absent.
Of course this is not a very pleasant procedure - donating blood for tests, but it is very important to have time to prevent serious diseases and their consequences for your unborn child. For this it is worth a little patient and be calm for the health of your child.