Click to play videoFor women, the most critical phase, when they really need to focus on their health, is when they are pregnant.
Prenatal care is more than just basic health care during pregnancy.
Apart from eating right, getting enough rest and the right nutrients, it is essential to get certain tests done so doctors can identify whether there's any risk of any genetic or structural disorder – while the baby is still in the womb.
Those tests give the woman the chance to make an informed choice regarding the future health of the child.
Now, it is evident that during ultra-sound examinations, evidence can be found of an underlying structural or genetic problem in the baby and now it is a good standard of care to offer every woman – regardless of her age – the first trimester screening scan between 11-14 weeks of pregnancy.
These tests help to determine if the child could possibly be suffering from Down's Syndrome, which affects three in 2000 babies and is the most common cause of mental retardation.
Other conditions like characteristic facies – that is, a flat face with upwardly slanting eyes – leukaemia, hearing loss and Alzheimer’s can also be determined through these tests.
While prenatal screening is mandatory in the West, till such a law is made in India, women have to be proactive in demanding these tests from their doctors.
Write in with your queries to health@ibnlive.com
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