Every woman’s experience of pregnancy is personal, and will depend on her situation and needs. Testing throughout gestation may therefore vary from one woman to another. However, it’s fair to say that most of the basic tests offered to a pregnant woman are directly in line with medical best practice guidelines for prenatal care, and are fairly standard across the country.
First pregnancy monitoring
During the first trimester (often during the first pregnancy follow-up visit), your healthcare professional⸱le may perform a Pap test, as well as gynecological swabs to screen and/or urine sample for STIs (sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections), always with a view to prevention.
Genetic screening blood tests are also offered to pregnant women to determine the risk of certain pathologies in the fetus, which can be identified as early as intro-uterine life (e.g. prenatal screening for trisomy 21 in the public or private sector, according to your GP’s recommendations).
Blood tests
Blood tests during pregnancy can be performed for a variety of reasons. For example, blood tests at the beginning of pregnancy can determine whether you are pregnant or whether there are any possible problems, such as iron levels in your blood, or whether you are immune to specific diseases that could harm your baby’s development. This way, we can intervene quickly to promote a healthy pregnancy.
Genetic screening tests
Genetic screening tests are optional but may be suggested to determine the risk of congenital anomalies in the fetus. These include blood tests to detect aneuploids as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, fetal DNA testing to detect possible fetal anomalies even more accurately and nuchal translucency.
Other tests can be added throughout your pregnancy based on each woman’s situation, such as:
- Repeated ultrasounds for different reasons: to determine the pregnancy age, evaluate the baby’s growth, monitor twin development, or to identify conditions to monitor, such as a poorly placed placenta;
- Fetal health surveillance through monitoring at your horpital center, for example;
Monitoring during the 2nd and 3rd trimester
You will also have an ultrasound around 20 weeks of gestation to check your baby’s morphology. This is followed by a test commonly referred to as oral provoked hyperglycemia to detect if there is pregnancy diabetes around 28 weeks (or earlier if risk factors are present). A strep-B test at 36 weeks will take place to identify women carrying the disease. This is to plan for treatment during labour to avoid infecting the baby during childbirth.
Genetic screening blood tests are also offered to pregnant women in order to determine the risk of certain pathologies in the fetus that can be identified as early as intro-uterine life (e.g. several trisomies, DiGeorge syndrome, Prader William and Cri-du-chat).
To learn more, read the following articles:
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Pregnancy
- Vaccinations for Pregnant Women and Babies (in french)
- Is a whooping cough vaccine mandatory? (in french)
Or watch these videos (in french):
Marie Fortier
The Baby Expert
Reviewed by Marjorie Plante, RN
Updated article : February, 2025.
Learn more about the tests available during pregnancy, offered at Prenato.
