Following your first pregnancy visit, there are a few tests you may be offered during the subsequent months. These can include:

Blood tests

Vaginal swab

Ultrasound

Kick chart

Genetic testing

Blood tests

After your initial blood tests, you should not require further routine blood tests until about 28 weeks of the pregnancy (ranging from 26 to 30 weeks). Women with medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, epilepsy, thyroid conditions or metabolic disorders or women experiencing pregnancy complications, may need additional tests before this time, as required.

Your caregiver will either take the blood themselves during the pregnancy visit, or order your blood tests to be taken by someone else (either at the hospital or a private pathologist). The blood tests offered at around 28 weeks are:

Glucose tolerance test or GTT

Full blood count or FBC

The glucose tolerance test (GTT) usually needs to be taken over a 1 or 2 hour period (depending on whether it is a short GTT or a long GTT). Therefore, you will need to set aside more time to have this test at this particular pregnancy visit. If your blood group is Rhesus negative, you will also need to have a group and antibodies blood test to screen for antibodies.

Vaginal swab

In recent years it has become fairly standard to offer women a low vaginal swab test to screen for a bacterium called Group B streptococcus (also known as Strep B or GBS) at around 28 weeks of the pregnancy. However, some caregivers delay this test until about 34 to 36 weeks of the pregnancy.

The vaginal swab is taken from the lower vagina, just inside the entrance. Therefore the woman can usually perform this test herself at home (if given the swab to take with her) or in the toilet during the pregnancy visit. (Your caregiver should not need to perform a vaginal examination, or use a