Antenatal Testing
Antenatal (before birth) testing helps our health care team evaluate the well-being of the fetus in the late pregnancy. It usually involves electronic fetal heart rate monitoring and ultrasound.
Antenatal testing is used for those who are at risk for problems with delivery or birth defects. Some of the patients who may benefit from antenatal testing are:
- Patients whose pregnancies have gone beyond their due date
- Patients who have diabetes or chronic hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Patients whose pregnancies demonstrate poor fetal growth (intrauterine growth restriction)
- Patients who have multiple pregnancies or bleeding during pregnancy
- Patients who have too much or too little amniotic fluid
- Patients who currently have children with congenital anomalies
On the Antenatal Unit, a wide variety of tests are performed to evaluate the health of the mother and baby. These include ultrasounds, amniocentesis, doppler studies, maternal blood testing and other sophisticated tests. The results of these tests help patients and physicians determine the best course of care through the pregnancy, delivery and first weeks of life.
Services are available by referral from a doctor and are provided on an outpatient basis. Mothers hospitalized before delivery in our Maternal-Fetal Care Unit may also be tested here. For more information, please call 310-423-9990 for antenatal testing and 310-423-9999 for physician-to-physician consultation.