Healthy pregnancy (18)
- Pregnancy nutrition: Healthy-eating basics
- Twin pregnancy: What multiples mean for mom
- Childbirth classes: Get ready for labor and delivery
- see all in Healthy pregnancy
First trimester (7)
- Fetal development: The first trimester
- Prenatal care: First-trimester visits
- First trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- see all in First trimester
Second trimester (7)
- Second trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- Prenatal care: Second-trimester visits
- Fetal development: The second trimester
- see all in Second trimester
Third trimester (9)
- Overdue pregnancy: What to do when baby's overdue
- Third trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- Fetal development: The third trimester
- see all in Third trimester
Pregnancy problems (16)
- Bed rest during pregnancy: Get the facts
- Heart conditions and pregnancy: Know the risks
- High blood pressure and pregnancy: Know the facts
- see all in Pregnancy problems
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Prenatal care: Second-trimester visits
Consider prenatal testing
During the second trimester, you may be offered various prenatal screenings or tests:
- Blood tests. Blood tests may be done to screen for developmental or chromosomal disorders, such as spina bifida or Down syndrome.
- Ultrasound. An ultrasound can help your health care provider evaluate your baby's growth and development. It also gives you an exciting glimpse of your baby.
- Diagnostic tests. If the results of a blood test or ultrasound are worrisome or your history suggests high risk, your health care provider may recommend a more invasive diagnostic test, such as amniocentesis.
Keep your health care provider informed
The second trimester often brings a renewed sense of well-being, but there's a lot happening. Tell your health care provider what's on your mind, even if it seems silly or unimportant. Nothing is too trivial when it comes to your health — or your baby's health.
Previous page(2 of 2)
- Lockwood C, et al. The initial prenatal assessment and routine prenatal care. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 17, 2010.
- You and your baby: Prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/ab005.cfm. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Cunningham FG, et al. Prenatal care. In: Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 22nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6052187. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 3, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on