Trimester Pregnancy Care
Your Pregnancy - Our Priority
I'm Pregnant but why don't I feel quite right?
Blood tests and profiles can be taken at any stage of your pregnancy to see how your body is coping with the growing baby.
Testing provides some women with invaluable peace of mind and can help to address some of their symptoms relating to morning sickness or getting a diagnosis of Hyperemesis Gravidarum. This is especially important due to the risk of developing blood clots in pregnancy. Results can also show signs of infection or crucial chemical and vitamin imbalances. These are often the cause of debilitating symptoms of morning sickness. Some of these symptoms can make you abnormally tired, leaving you feeling unable to cope with day-to-day life.
Due to the influence of hormones and the sheer amount of physical work your body has to do day to day. You can be left feeling excessively tired, unwell or even ill. If symptoms persist this can also have a significant impact on your mental health.
All women should be offered routine care and screening for conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia at their NHS booking appointment as well as at 28 weeks pregnant. However, it is very common for symptoms to occur before then and remain persistent after this point. Appointments are not always available to suit or, it is not always the case that you are routinely followed up after illness during pregnancy. If this is the case for you then we can help. Symptoms can often be related to other medical causes. At Trimester Pregnancy Services we always recommend you seek advice from your medical team if you are concerned.
Blood Tests During Pregnancy
Post Pregnancy Testing
Especially designed to support and enhance women's health throughout all stages of pregnancy and after a pregnancy has ended. This is especially crucial if recovery has not happened as expected or you are feeling unwell.
Beta HCG
This test is suitable for anyone who suspects they are pregnant and wishes to confirm with a blood test.
If you have a history of miscarriage and want to check that all is well with your baby and that your pregnancy is progressing as it should in the first few weeks
If you have had successful IVF treatment and want reassurance that your pregnancy is progressing as it should
Or, anyone referred by their midwife or fertility specialist.
The test can be taken any time from conception up until it peaks at 12 weeks, this test will measure the actual levels of HCG in your blood.
HCG is a sensitive test that will be able to detect a pregnancy more accurately than over-the-counter urine tests.
Pregnancy Wellbeing
This test can be taken at any stage of pregnancy and is suitable for anyone who wants to check how their body is coping with their growing baby.
This test can be taken at any stage of pregnancy.
What does the test include?
Renal Function Test
Iron profile
Thyroid Function Test
Vitamin D Levels
Diabetes Status
Please do not take biotin supplements for 2 days prior to this test. If you are taking prescribed Biotin, you should discuss this with your care provider.
Pregnancy Reassurance Panel
This test is suitable for anyone who wants to check how their body is coping with the growing pregnancy especially, when you have not been feeling well or have had an illness that you have recovered from slowly.
This test can be taken at any stage of pregnancy.
What does the test include?
Renal Function Test
Iron Profile
Thyroid Function Test
Vitamin D Levels
Diabetes Status
B12 Active & Red Cell Folate Stores
Inflammation and Infection Markers
Post Pregnancy / Post Surgical Wellbeing
This test is suitable for anyone following the end or a loss of a pregnancy
When can the test be taken?
You must be more than 2 full days post pregnancy.
Please let us know how many days post pregnancy you are. and any relevant information for example, haemorrhage or wound infection.
This test is especially important if you are slow to recover to your pre-pregnancy health levels, or if there has been significant blood loss or symptoms of an infection.
What does this profile include?
FBC
Iron Profile
Renal Function
Thyroid Check
Vit D
Diabetes check
B12
Inflammation and Infection markers
This test can be taken at any time whether you are having periods, or not.
Blood Grouping
Anyone can take this test at any time to find out their blood group.
There are 4 blood types (A, B, AB or O) this blood test allows you to find out which type you are. It is useful to know your blood group in case you need to be given blood, for example if you have heavy bleeding (haemorrhage) during pregnancy or birth.
In order to perform this test, you must inform us
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if you have a history of a blood transfusion
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a history of known antibodies
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received a blood transfusion in the last 3 months
Please note: these testing profiles must not replace any routine or urgent NHS check-up or blood test, anyone who is unable to get an NHS appointment must escalate this through their own GP surgery.
Blood Pressure Disorders
The most well known of these is Pre - eclampsia, which can be life threatening to both mother and baby, or cause serious long term complications
What is pre-eclampsia? It is an illness you can get only during pregnancy or straight after your baby is born. It can affect you and your unborn baby.
When does it happen? Most women don't get preeclampsia till the last few weeks of pregnancy, but it can start as early as 20 weeks or (very rarely) even earlier. It is also possible for it to develop during labour or in the first 6 months after the baby is born.
Seek help immediately- you are never wasting anyones time. Symptoms of pre-eclampsia, include:
severe headache
problems with vision, such as blurring or flashing before the eyes
severe pain just below the ribs
vomiting
sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet or abdomen.
Click here to download the Action on Pre-eclampsia leaflet for essential pregnancy information or follow the link.
Antenatal Care
Women who have been diagnosed with chronic hypertension, should have increased monitoring.
This can include:
weekly appointments if her blood pressure is poorly controlled
appointments every 2 to 4 weeks if her blood pressure is well-controlled
Regular blood testing to ensure her body is coping well with the effects of hypertension
Placental growth factor (PlGF) testing to rule out pre-eclampsia between 20 weeks and 35 weeks of pregnancy You can also book this test here
After the baby is born
Pre-eclampsia always goes away eventually after the baby is born because it is a disease of the placenta . However, in rare occasions it can take up to six months after the birth. So an awareness of the symptoms is vital as it sometimes only show itself for the first time after the birth.
Pre-eclampsia at any time can causes the same symptoms as listed above.
Click here to download the Action on Pre-eclampsia leaflet for essential postnatal recovery from pre eclampsia, or follow the link for more information.
Spotting signs of serious Infection
If you or a loved one notices you have any of the signs below you must not delay, seek urgent medical advice either contact your midwife or health care team immediately or call 999 for an assessment for those in BOLD.
Do not hesitate if;
skin looks mottled or blue
Feeling short of breath
pain on breathing
unusually drowsy and hard to waken
A headache, neck stiffness, being unable to look at lights
heavy bleeding from the vagina
unpleasant smelling discharge
If your waters have gone and smell
lower tummy pain, diarrhoea
coughing up green / brown / blood stained sputum
A wound that feels very painful, looks red, is swollen, is not healing, smells unpleasant
Pain in the lower back / side
Pain when passing urine, unpleasant smelling urine and passing less urine than usual, despite drinking plenty of fluids
Pain in the back after having an epidural or spinal pain relief
Swollen legs, red or painful calves
Pain, redness or, discharge from the place in your skin where a line or cannula was put in
Painful, lumpy, hot and reddened breasts
Postnatal Wellbeing
Our Postnatal blood profiles can be taken at any stage of the post birth recovery period.
Testing provides peace of mind and can address some of the symptoms relating to crucial chemical and vitamin imbalances, which are often the cause of debilitating conditions such as thyroid disease or iron deficiency anaemia.
Symptoms can often make you feel abnormally tired leaving you feeling unable to cope with day-to-day life.
Often felt more with the inevitable loss of blood that occurs following the birth of a baby, it can also have a significant impact on your mental health.
All women should be offered routine screening for iron deficiency anaemia at their NHS booking appointment as well as at 28 weeks pregnant. Yet, many women are not tested again, despite loosing a 'significant' amount of blood at the birth. This can often be hampered with other underlying health problem such as an infection. Many women are often not routinely followed up after this and more rarely, following a miscarriage.
The test options we provide are used for non urgent and non critical care. Symptoms can be related to other medical causes so we recommend that you always seek medical attention if you are concerned about your health.
After the birth
The test options we provide are used for non urgent and non critical care following the birth or sadly, after the loss of a baby.
Your symptoms can sometimes be related to other medical causes so we always recommend that you always seek medical attention in the first instance if you or your family are concerned about your health.
Our extensive range of post birth blood tests, gives an in-depth insight into your wellbeing and will aid any therapeutic treatment you may require from your GP or specialist. Home visits may be available in tour area just ask us
What you need to know about Sepsis
Sepsis is a serious and potentially life threatening condition that happens when the body reacts to an infection. Vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, heart, brain and lungs are affected. Early treatment is critical and never more crucial than during pregnancy or after the birth of a baby .
Using the acronym - The main symptoms of SEPSIS are ;
Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or muscle pain
Passed no / very little urine in a day
Severe breathlessness
I “feel like I might die” feeling
Skin mottled or discoloured
What can cause an infection that may lead to Sepsis?
A stitch used in the neck of the womb (cervix) to prevent pregnancy loss
If “waters” / membrane sac broke early in pregnancy or were broken for longer than 24 hours
If the placenta or part of it remained inside the womb after birth
If there has been close contact with someone who has Group A streptococcus
A pelvic infection
If you have recently had a procedure to take a sample of fluid taken from around the foetus
Any untreated infection but most common with urine infection