Dr Dikhit, Cloudnine highlights the importance of Pre Pregnancy Tests

The following article is a replug on Safe Motherhood Day.

Dr Sushma Dikhit, Consultant & Senior director- Obstetrics & Gynecology, Cloudnine hospitals, shared much-needed information with the women of Delhi NCR in an event held at the Arihant Harmony, Indirapuram. The event was organized to honour the role of women in community building on March 27, 2022.

In the interactive session, Dr Dikhit highlighted the importance of pre-pregnancy tests for every woman who is planning a pregnancy. She shared her experience and guided them with the information related to Pre-pregnancy tests such as Thyroid, Sugar, Menopause, PCOS, and PCOD.

Pre Pregnancy
Dr Dikhit explained the importance of pre-pregnancy counselling and requests everyone present there by saying, “If your daughter or daughter in law or anyone among your group is planning for pregnancy, ask them to visit a gynaecologist first, if they are feeling shy or scared, you must go with them. A simple blood test is done and we start a course of Folic acid." She explained that if we start giving the Folic acid three months before pregnancy, 99.9% of complications go away. The best part of this medicine is that it is very small, very economical and without any side effects.

"By the time you reach the Gyno, almost 6 weeks have been crossed off the pregnancy. Thus, important time is wasted when you reach the gynaecologist after missing your period. The three months before getting pregnant are a boon for the baby, if you undergo the proper medication of folic acid then the baby will reap the benefits."

Thyroid and Hg test-
Dr Dikhit says explains that if a mother's thyroid level is above 100, too many complications can arise for the baby. "We don’t want just a live baby, we want an intelligent baby." Thereafter, she explained the importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy. "The girls who eat well throughout the 9 months of their pregnancy have a healthy baby. Providing a balanced diet to the child in the womb is the duty of the mother."

If the mother is not iron deficient, it could be possible that the child is also deficient. As a result, getting tested for thyroid and haemoglobin is very important before planning the pregnancy. "These important guidelines teach us that first feed yourself, nourish yourself well, then bring another life into the world," says Doctor Dikhit.

Sugar test
Dr Dikhit says, “ If we go 50 years back, you will know that childbirth was not possible in diabetes. But all thanks to the medicines, that pregnancy is possible in diabetes too. Now, this is the time when pre-pregnancy counselling can help you. When you reach the doctor in your 6-8 weeks of pregnancy, in high sugar, the effect has already been done on the child. Repairing is not possible, as the damage has already been done."

Urine infection 
If the would-be mother is prone to urine infections in history then we guide the mother to drink a lot of water throughout the pregnancy and to maintain hygiene. This will help in not getting the infection during the pregnancy. We ask her to take care else the child will suffer. "If the mother develops an infection during pregnancy, we have to give her antibiotics. Now indirectly it reaches the baby in the womb too. Why give the medicine indirectly to the foetus when the problem can be solved with proper intake of water."

Also read | Know everything about PCOD and PCOS

Rubella  (MMR)
The doctor explains that in childhood, everyone gets vaccinated but sometimes, either it is missed or skipped or the injected vaccine was not effective, maybe in transportation it got destroyed, reason can be any. To know this, we first test for Rubella. Further, we can vaccinate the pregnant woman with the rubella vaccine. "If in pregnancy, a girl suffers from the rubella virus, normal pregnancy is not possible. And the pregnancy will be full of life-threatening complications."

"50 years back, out of 1000, 152 children died due to rubella, and now with the awareness, out of 1000, only 52 children die that too in rural areas. With proper consultation, all complications can be removed."

Pap Smear test
There is a test pap smear test that is done to look for changes in cervical cells before they turn into cancer. If you have cancer, finding it early on giving on gives you the best chance of fighting it. If you don’t, finding cell changes early can help prevent you from getting cancer.
Dr Dhikhit says, “ In Pap smear test we take the vaginal discharge and send it to the lab. It can alert you if you are prone to getting uterine cancer even after 10 years. This way you can avoid all kinds of cancers if you get this test.”

PCOS
Several times, ready-made food intake, less exercise, a sedentary lifestyle, and overexposure to screens can cause PCOS. PCOS is increasing due to greasy and adulterated food. We usually give the medicine, but exercise and good food is the best option to control PCOS. Weight should be controlled and lifestyle should be made healthy.