Wednesday September 30, 2009
LifeParenting Headlines, The Star
THERE are all sorts of tests that a woman should go for before and during pregnancy. Before getting pregnant, you should check for diabetes, thyroid problems and infections which you may not have had proper immunisation for, such as hepatitis, rubella and HIV. For hepatitis and rubella, it’s best to vaccinate before you get pregnant if you’ve not had your shots.
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Gunasegaran PT Rajan say: “In the Malaysian context, before couples get pregnant, they should test for thalassaemia because it is more common here. The woman should go for the test to find out if she is a carrier. If her results are negative, then it doesn’t matter if her husband is a carrier or not. If she is positive, then the husband would also need to test if he is a carrier.”
Dr Guna says you don’t actually need to wait till you want to have children to test for thalassaemia. It is a test you can do at any age to find out if you are a carrier.
“If the husband and wife are carriers, then they need to be counselled of the risk that their baby will have thalassaemia. When they are both carriers, there is a 25% chance that the child will have thalassaemia major and a 75% chance that the child will be a carrier.”
During the pregnancy, a woman might have to undergo other diagnostic tests if the doctor thinks there are risks to her baby’s health.
LifeParenting Headlines, The Star
THERE are all sorts of tests that a woman should go for before and during pregnancy. Before getting pregnant, you should check for diabetes, thyroid problems and infections which you may not have had proper immunisation for, such as hepatitis, rubella and HIV. For hepatitis and rubella, it’s best to vaccinate before you get pregnant if you’ve not had your shots.
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Gunasegaran PT Rajan say: “In the Malaysian context, before couples get pregnant, they should test for thalassaemia because it is more common here. The woman should go for the test to find out if she is a carrier. If her results are negative, then it doesn’t matter if her husband is a carrier or not. If she is positive, then the husband would also need to test if he is a carrier.”
Dr Guna says you don’t actually need to wait till you want to have children to test for thalassaemia. It is a test you can do at any age to find out if you are a carrier.
“If the husband and wife are carriers, then they need to be counselled of the risk that their baby will have thalassaemia. When they are both carriers, there is a 25% chance that the child will have thalassaemia major and a 75% chance that the child will be a carrier.”
During the pregnancy, a woman might have to undergo other diagnostic tests if the doctor thinks there are risks to her baby’s health.
Inherited disorder: Thalassemia
More about Thalassemia: Thalassemia
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