The chance of chromosomal abnormalities increases the older the mother and father are during pregnancy. Chromosomes are packages that carry your genes.

You may need further testing to follow up on any unusual ultrasound findings.

Congenital abnormalities can run in families and increase the chance of passing along the condition.

If you know that you or your partner carry the genes for a genetic condition, your provider may suggest extra prenatal testing.

Health conditions such as autoimmune diseases, diabetes or previous gestational diabetes, high blood pressure or seizure disorders may increase your health risks during pregnancy. If you take certain medications or develop certain infections during pregnancy, those can also increase your risk for pregnancy complications.

A history of pregnancy-related complications may put you at a higher chance of having a baby with a congenital anomaly.

Abnormal prenatal screening test results may require follow up with more screening tests or diagnostic tests.

Throughout your pregnancy, your provider tests your blood for signs of high blood pressure, especially after the 20th week of pregnancy (preeclampsia).

We check your blood for signs of infection (hepatitis B and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like HIV and syphilis) and anemia. We also check your blood type and Rh factor, which are proteins people have on their red blood cells.

We test your urine for signs of preeclampsia, bladder infections and kidney infections.

Sound waves show an image of your baby in your uterus and can show your baby’s position and shape. We also do an ultrasound to look for Down syndrome by checking the fluid at the back of your baby’s neck (nuchal translucency ultrasound).

We offer NIPS testing at 10 weeks of pregnancy. Also known as cell-free DNA testing, we check your blood for your baby’s DNA. We then screen your baby’s DNA for genetic conditions including Down syndrome.

CVS is a diagnostic test. We may offer it between 10 and 13 weeks of pregnancy if you have an abnormal screening test result. We may also offer it if you are at higher chance of having a baby with a congenital or genetic anomaly. During it, we test a piece of your placenta (tissue that passes blood and nutrients to your unborn baby).

We look at images of your baby between 18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy to check their size and look for any physical differences.

We may offer you a blood test, also called the MSAFP blood test, between 15 and 21 weeks of pregnancy. The screen measures birth defect risk by looking at a protein level in your blood.

Amniocentesis is a prenatal diagnostic test that we may offer between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. We may suggest it if you had an abnormal screening test result. We may also offer it if you are at a higher chance of having a baby with a congenital anomaly or genetic disorder. During this, we look at the baby’s DNA and we may measure your baby’s protein levels by sampling amniotic fluid.