Understanding Your Pregnancy Tests and Monitoring

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If you have a high-risk pregnancy, your healthcare team may recommend more tests or appointments than you expected.

You may wonder:

• Why do I need another ultrasound?
• What are they checking?
• Does another test mean something is wrong?
• What is the difference between screening and diagnostic testing?

Extra testing does not tell you what the results are.

Some tests are part of planned care. Others take a closer look at something or help your team decide what care you may need.

Understanding the purpose of each test can help you take part in decisions about your pregnancy.

1. Why You May Need Extra Testing

Your healthcare team may recommend testing to:

• Check how your baby is growing.
• Look at your baby's development.
• Check the placenta and the fluid around your baby.
• Learn more about a possible health concern.
• Check how your baby is doing.
• Help decide whether your care plan needs to change.

Not everyone needs the same tests. The tests recommended for you depend on your health, your baby's needs, and how far along you are in your pregnancy.

You can ask why a test is recommended and what it may tell you.

2. Ultrasound: One Tool, Many Questions

Ultrasound uses sound waves to make pictures of your baby and other parts of your pregnancy.

Different ultrasound exams answer different questions. Some common ones include:

• Anatomy ultrasound: Looks at your baby's body, such as the brain, heart, spine, and kidneys. It may also be called a “detailed” or “level 2” ultrasound. It can find some differences in development, but it cannot find every condition.
• Growth ultrasound: Uses measurements to estimate your baby's size and growth over time. It gives an estimate of your baby's weight, not an exact number.
• Placenta and fluid checks: Look at where the placenta is and how much amniotic fluid is around your baby.
• Doppler ultrasound: Checks how blood is flowing through certain blood vessels. Not every pregnancy needs it.

Why Might I Need Another Ultrasound?

An ultrasound may be repeated to check growth over time, get pictures that were hard to see, or follow something more closely.

The number of ultrasounds you have does not, by itself, tell you what the results mean.

Ask your healthcare provider what the exam is checking and how the findings affect your care.

3. Monitoring Your Baby's Well-Being

Later in pregnancy, your team may recommend tests to check how your baby is doing.

Two common tests are:

• Nonstress test (NST): Monitors placed on your belly record your baby's heart rate, including how it changes with movement. The test does not place stress on your baby.
• Biophysical profile (BPP): Uses ultrasound to watch things like your baby's movements, muscle tone, and breathing movements, along with the amount of amniotic fluid. Some BPPs also include an NST.

Sometimes your team needs more time or additional testing to understand the results. Monitoring may also be repeated at different times.

One monitoring result does not necessarily describe how your baby will do for the rest of your pregnancy.

Ask what the results show, whether more monitoring is needed, and when it should happen.

4. Screening Tests and Diagnostic Tests

You may hear the words screening and diagnostic during pregnancy.

They do not mean the same thing.

Screening Tests

A screening test estimates the chance that a condition may be present.

Examples include some blood tests that look at the chance of certain chromosome conditions and glucose screening used to check for gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops during pregnancy).

A screening result does not confirm a diagnosis.

A result showing an increased chance may lead to a conversation about further testing.

Diagnostic Tests

A diagnostic test is used to find out whether a specific condition is present. Some involve a procedure.

Diagnostic tests may provide a more definite answer about the condition being tested, but they have different benefits, limitations, and possible risks.

Before You Decide

You can ask:

• What is this test looking for?
• Is it a screening or diagnostic test?
• What could the results tell us?
• What are the possible benefits, risks, and limitations?
• What happens if I choose to have the test or decide not to?

Your healthcare team can help you understand your options and how the information may affect your care.

5. Understanding Your Results

Test results are not always simple. A number or medical term often needs to be considered alongside your health history, earlier tests, and other findings.

Seeing a number or result in your patient portal does not tell you everything it means for your pregnancy.

Ask your healthcare team:

What did the test show, and what does it mean for my pregnancy?

Then use the four questions from Lesson 3:

WHAT? What happens next?

WHY? Why is it recommended?

WHEN? When should it happen?

WHO? Who should I contact with questions?

If you have symptoms that worry you, do not wait for your next test or appointment. Contact your regular OB-GYN or pregnancy care team unless you have been given different instructions.

If you need urgent medical attention and cannot reach your care team, seek urgent medical care. For a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

Words to Know

Ultrasound: An exam that uses sound waves to make pictures of your baby and other parts of your pregnancy.

Monitoring: Checking how your baby is doing over time, such as with a nonstress test or biophysical profile.

Screening test: A test that estimates the chance of a condition but does not confirm a diagnosis.

Diagnostic test: A test used to find out whether a specific condition is present.

The Main Point

Different pregnancy tests answer different questions. Knowing why a test is recommended, what it can tell you, and what happens next can help you take part in your care.

Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Team

Choose the questions that matter most to you.

• Why is this test recommended for my pregnancy?
• What are you checking?
• What can this test tell us, and what can it not tell us?
• Is this a screening or diagnostic test?
• Are there benefits, risks, or other options I should understand?
• Who will explain my results, and when?
• Will I need this test again?
• Who should I contact first if I have a concern—my regular OB-GYN or the MFM clinic?

You can ask for a qualified medical interpreter if you would like the information explained in your preferred language.

A Moment to Reflect

Optional — for your personal reflection.

Is there a test or type of monitoring you would like your healthcare team to explain more clearly?

You can think about your answer or write it in your own notebook or a printable question sheet.

GestaClara doesn't collect or see your answer.

Before You Move On

You have learned why your care team may recommend different tests, what common ultrasounds and monitoring exams check, and how screening differs from diagnostic testing.

Your care team can explain the specific tests recommended for you. It is okay to ask questions before, during, or after testing.