BetaHCG is a blood test that detects the production of these hormones, which typically occurs during pregnancy. This way, you can be 100% sure and start the medical check-up process with greater confidence.

Right after the BetaHCG test, this is the most important appointment—and perhaps the most exciting. If you already have a trusted gynecologist, book a visit with your specialist; otherwise, choose a private doctor or a public facility.

With a simple internal ultrasound, the doctor will check for the presence of the fetus and make sure everything is progressing well. They’ll ask about your medical history and your family’s history to check for any chronic conditions that could complicate pregnancy (hypertension, diabetes). They’ll also weigh you and estimate your due date based on your last menstrual period. If possible, bring your partner to this appointment: hearing your baby’s heartbeat hand in hand makes it even more special!

From now on, visits will take place once a month.

From now on, you’ll have several blood and urine tests (about once a month, depending on your doctor’s recommendations). These are used to rule out HIV, rubella, hepatitis, and toxoplasmosis.

If you test negative for toxoplasmosis, you’ll need to repeat the test later as well to make sure you don’t become infected, since it can be very dangerous. For rubella, if you haven’t had it before or aren’t vaccinated, you’ll be advised on the next steps. For HIV and hepatitis, the father will also need a blood test to rule out their presence. In the meantime, your blood type will be determined.

Based on various factors, including your age, your gynecologist may prescribe tests for genetic diseases. Which ones? For example, nuchal translucency and the combined test, which aim to rule out Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal abnormality. Nuchal translucency is a non-invasive test, usually performed between the eleventh and fourteenth week of pregnancy: it measures the fluid that accumulates behind the fetus’s neck and, based on the data obtained, estimates statistically whether the baby falls within the range of cases associated with Down syndrome. However, it is not 100% reliable.

To definitively rule out these chromosomal abnormalities, you may need to undergo chorionic villus sampling (performed between the eleventh and thirteenth week) or amniocentesis (between the sixteenth and eighteenth week). These are more invasive and carry risks: there is, in fact, a 1% risk of spontaneous miscarriage.

If the doctor considers it appropriate, you may also need specific blood tests to rule out conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Mediterranean anemia, congenital deafness,
spinal muscular atrophy and fragile X syndrome.

All these tests will be prescribed only if your primary care physician deems them truly necessary, so don’t worry—you may not need to have them.

This is a very special ultrasound: you’ll see your baby’s little face in the images. We say “you” in the plural because, at this much-anticipated moment, the dad usually joins too. In addition to checking that the fetus is growing healthy and strong, it can reveal the baby’s gender, if you’d like to know. The morphological scan is performed between the nineteenth and twenty-second week.

You’ve probably heard about a sugary drink you have to take during certain pregnancy tests. This is it: the glucose tolerance test, prescribed between the twenty-seventh and twenty-ninth week. It involves two blood tests: the first while fasting. Then you’ll drink a glucose-based solution and, about an hour later, repeat the test. It’s used to rule out gestational diabetes.

At the end of the second trimester, it’s advisable to enroll in a childbirth preparation course, usually led by midwives. You can ask all your questions about labor and delivery and meet other pregnant women to make friends and share experiences.

Right up to the very end, just before labor, you’ll have your final gynecological check-ups to make sure the baby is doing well and to confirm whether your little one is in a breech position or ready to be born.

Just before delivery, you’ll need this swab to rule out infection with Group B beta-hemolytic Streptococcus. It’s done at the end of pregnancy, between the thirty-fifth and thirty-seventh week, because it’s valid for one month and therefore needs to cover any overdue deliveries as well. This microorganism can be transmitted from mother to child during delivery, causing neonatal infections. If your swab result is positive, you’ll need antibiotic treatment at the start of labor via intravenous infusion every four hours, to sterilize the vaginal environment and protect your baby during delivery.

If the baby is taking longer to arrive, the doctor will monitor more frequently whether the amniotic fluid level is sufficient and how the baby’s heartbeat is doing. Usually, monitoring is done at term and then repeated regularly, along with gynecological visits, to check dilation, fluid levels, and the baby’s position. After a maximum of two weeks beyond the presumed due date, they will induce labor with the administration of prostaglandins and oxytocin, to prevent the baby from suffering.