The article provides information about importance of CBC Test during pregnancy. This test helps the doctors to find out if would-be mothers have any health related problem and treatment is done accordingly.Margarita is going to the clinic for her CBC test. Her medical caregiver has explained her about the importance of CBC
test during pregnancy. She knows that she has to go for some more tests during her pregnancy period so that her doctor can have exact information about her internal health and the baby remains healthy.
What is CBC Test?
Complete Blood Count or CBC test is done during early days of pregnancy. This test provides information about various types of cells present in the blood e.g. RBC or Red Blood Corpuscles, WBC or White Blood Corpuscles and Platelets and the numbers of these cells in blood. This information helps the doctor to find out if would-be mom is suffering from infection, polycythemia (increase in RBC count), anaemia (lower RBC count) or any other kind of ailment. The doctors check for symptoms like tiredness, bruising etc. if they find any abnormality in the CBC Test Report. By doing CBC Test, it is possible to know about levels of
haemoglobin, haematocrit and the differential count of WBC.
Why is it Important to do CBC Test during Pregnancy?
One of the early tests that obstetricians prescribe would-be mothers is the CBC Test. The test is very simple as the blood is taken from the vein. CBC is an important test during pregnancy because:
It Helps to Check Haemoglobin Level
It informs about the haemoglobin content in the blood. Haemoglobin (Hgb) molecules are present in RBC. They give red colour to RBC and are responsible for carrying oxygen. If would-be mothers have good amount of Haemoglobin in the blood it means blood can carry sufficient amount of oxygen throughout the body.
Platelets or Thrombocytes are the smallest blood cell. They play important role in clotting of blood. When any part of the body bleeds, swelling of platelets happen and they clump with each other forming a sticky block which stops bleeding. Too few platelets in the body will increase risk of uncontrolled bleeding. Having too many platelets in the blood will cause sudden clotting of blood in the blood vessel.
It Helps to Check the White Blood Corpuscles
It informs about individual amount of various types of White Blood Corpuscles present in the blood i.e. amount of neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils and basophils. These numbers help the doctors to find out if any kind of infection is there in the body of would-be mother.
Though blood smear test is not a part of CBC Blood Test but it is done to find out if pregnant woman has diseases like sickle cell anaemia, leukaemia or any other blood disease.
Other Types of Blood Test during Pregnancy
Apart from CBC Test, other important blood tests to be performed during pregnancy are as follows:
Blood Type Test and Rh factor Test
Blood Type Test is done to find out the blood group of would-be mothers. Blood Type and Rh factor test is done in the
1st Trimester. Rh factor test informs whether would-be mothers have Rh antigen in the body or no. Rh (–ve) means the body does not have Rh Antigen in the body. If the Rh factor of the baby’s blood does not match with Rh factor of the mother then it creates Rh incompatibility. The would-be mothers need medicine during the delivery and after the
delivery as well.
Blood Glucose Test
Another blood test that is advised during early pregnancy is the blood glucose test. It is done in the
2nd Trimester. Many women develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy which goes off automatically after the birth of the child. If would-be mother is found diabetes then she has to be under strict medical care, diet control and lifestyle changes.
Along with many normal tests like urine tests, HIV tests, blood type, Rh factor tests etc. Complete Blood Count (CBC) test is also mandatory during pregnancy to find out if the would-be mother needs any special therapy in case her total blood count is low. This helps in avoiding any complication during delivery.