���ѵ���

If you think you might be pregnant or want to confirm a positive at-home pregnancy test result, doctors at NYU Langone recommend making an appointment for a prenatal visit. Although at-home pregnancy tests are largely accurate, they carry a small risk of a false-positive or false-negative result.

Our providers can confirm a pregnancy and assess your overall health using urine and blood tests with accurate results. Depending on how far along you are, we may perform an ultrasound to confirm the presence and location of the pregnancy. We also perform a physical and pelvic exam and take a family and medical history.

If you receive a negative result from a pregnancy test and you have been having trouble conceiving, we can refer you to our fertility services for a consultation.

Urine Tests

Our provider can confirm a pregnancy using a urine test to measure levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) a hormone produced during pregnancy. Urine is also tested to determine sugar and protein levels. This helps your doctor to determine if you have diabetes, preeclampsia, or a urinary tract infection.

Blood Tests

Blood tests can also precisely measure hCG levels to confirm a pregnancy. Your doctor may also test your blood for sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis and HIV, and check your immunity to rubella, which is also called German measles.

Depending on your health and family history, your doctor may check for low levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH, which indicate hypothyroidism. Tests can also reveal if you have an inheritable condition, such as sickle cell anemia.

Rh Factor Blood Test

Your doctor determines your blood type and checks your rhesus (Rh) factor, which indicates whether your blood and your baby’s blood are compatible. This test helps your doctor decide whether to give you an injection of Rh immunoglobulin, a blood product that sensitizes your body to the baby’s blood.

Early Ultrasound

This test may be performed to confirm the presence of a pregnancy and its location. An early pregnancy ultrasound can help assess gestational age, determine the viability of the pregnancy by detecting a fetal heartbeat, and identify multiple pregnancies. It can also detect an ectopic pregnancy, where a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, a molar pregnancy, where abnormal tissue grows instead of a normal embryo, or signs of a potential miscarriage.

Physical and Pelvic Exam

During your visit, your doctor also conducts a complete physical exam, including a pelvic exam. Your doctor can estimate your due date based on the date of the first day of your last period, if you have regular menstrual cycles. Other methods used to calculate the baby’s due date involve estimating the date of conception or the date of embryo transfer, or measuring the size of the baby during an ultrasound.

Family and Medical History

Your doctor asks about your family history and determines your risk factors for complications. These may include prior miscarriage, pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preterm labor, and a family history of congenital heart disease or genetic conditions.

Your doctor discusses any medications you are taking and determines if they are safe to continue taking during pregnancy.