Biochemical blood test during pregnancy

During pregnancy, a woman repeatedly donates blood for biochemical analysis. What this type of diagnosis can tell and what are the rates of indicators for expectant mothers, we will tell in this material.

What it is?

Such a method of laboratory diagnostics as a biochemical blood test is very common in medicine. And this is not without reason - the results of the study make it possible to get the most complete picture of the health of the expectant mother, of the slightest changes in the work of her internal organs.

During pregnancy, a heavy load falls on the heart, liver, kidneys, endocrine system. Control over their activities is an important component of dispensary registration.

In addition, the analysis results allow you to judge how metabolic processes proceed - carbohydrate and salt metabolism, whether a woman has enough important vitamins and minerals. They are needed not only for her, but also for the normal growth and development of the baby, since he receives everything necessary for this with the mother's blood.

In the blood of a pregnant woman, the concentration of sugar and urea, creatinine and total protein, cholesterol and a variety of proteins and lipids are determined by the method of biochemistry, a change in which in relation to normal values may indicate a developing pathology of internal organs, inflammation or an allergic reaction.

Analysis is optional, it is only recommended by the Russian Ministry of Health for the examination of pregnant women. In theory, every woman has the right to refuse such a diagnosis. But this should not be done, since the violations detected in time allow doctors to quickly respond and begin treatment, save the lives and health of both the woman herself and her baby.

It took medicine and science several decades to figure out the chemical and biological components of all the processes taking place inside the expectant mother, as well as to figure out what is considered normal for pregnant women and what is pathological.

A biochemical blood test in pregnant women is a separate story, since the indicators in their blood differ significantly from those in the blood of non-pregnant women and men.

How to take

Having received a referral for a biochemical blood test, the expectant mother is usually not puzzled by the question of how to do this research correctly. This is a big mistake, because many factors can affect the results of biochemistry.

As a result, the doctor will receive an unreliable laboratory report. By mistake, a woman can begin to treat a disease that she really does not have. But it is much worse if the treatment of a disease that exists, but which has not been reflected in the results of laboratory diagnostics, does not begin.

The delivery of the analysis must necessarily be preceded by a certain preparation. Before going to the treatment room or laboratory, a woman preferably a couple of days before limit consumption of fatty foods, strong tea and coffee, spices, as well as give up the abundance of sweets and minimize salt intake.

The analysis is taken exclusively on an empty stomach, because only in this way the picture of biochemical processes in the body will be the most true. However, do not starve for a long time, a prolonged lack of food also distorts the result. The optimal time interval from the last meal to the test is considered - 6-8 hours.

If you are taking any medications, biologically active additives, you should definitely inform the doctor about this, if the situation allows it, it is better to stop taking both medications and dietary supplements in a couple of days.

If a woman goes in for sports, and even during pregnancy does not limit herself to physical activity, you should temporarily reduce them, also a few days before donating blood. Loads activate and slow down certain processes in our body, which causes fluctuations in values in one direction or another, distortion of the real picture is possible.

With severe stress against an unfavorable psychological background, a woman's blood chemistry also changes due to certain hormones, for example, cortisol. therefore keep your peace of mind, and if this is impossible, then postpone the analysis to a later time, when "passions subside."

Blood is drawn from the cubital vein. If it is impossible to make a puncture in this place, then doctors can take samples of venous blood for examination from any other vein. This will not affect the results.

Table of norms of indicators for pregnant women

The results are compared with the following table:

Decoding and reasons for deviations

Deciphering the analysis, of course, should be done by doctors. However, pregnant women are also interested in what the piling up of numbers as a result of their analysis means, and most doctors simply do not have time to clarify each incomprehensible point. Therefore, let's decipher your biochemical analysis together.

Total protein

This is an indicator that indicates the amount of protein in the blood serum. An insufficient level of total protein may indicate that the pregnant woman's nutrition is inadequate, that she is malnourished, eats little meat, dairy products, and she is depleted.

Throughout pregnancy, the level of this indicator is kept at the same level, normally there should not be sharp jumps.

This indicator does not depend on the gestational age. An increased level of total protein is a reason for a detailed analysis of the so-called "liver tests" - other indicators of biochemical research, which we will discuss below.

An excess of the total protein norm is an indirect sign of liver disease.

Albumen

It is a protein, an important constituent of blood plasma. Its main "job" is to provide blood circulation and carry important substances. Albumin transports hormones and vitamins, bilirubin, cholesterol and all the drugs we take when we are sick. The molecules of this plasma protein store amino acids carefully, without which our body cannot function normally.

Increased albumin occurs in pregnant women who are dehydrated. Decreased - in expectant mothers with chronic kidney disease, in vegetarian women, since they do not get the required amount of protein food, as well as in patients with diseases of the digestive system and recent injuries.

In general, all pregnant women have a slightly reduced albumin compared to non-pregnant women.

Urea

It is a by-product of protein metabolism. Urea helps the human body to get rid of excess harmful and toxic ammonia, which is also formed in the process of protein metabolism. Urea is produced by the liver, excreted by the kidneys... Therefore, an excess of urea in the norm can show problems with the kidneys, impaired excretion functions.

An increase in this indicator may also indicate that a woman is nervous, eats too much protein foods, and has completely excluded salt from the diet. An increase in urea in the 1st trimester may indicate toxicosis associated with vomiting.

According to the specific degree of excess, the doctor makes a conclusion about the degree of kidney damage and about the prognosis. An insufficient level of urea sometimes indicates a violation of the liver. In the 3rd trimester, the decrease occurs for natural, physiological reasons and is not considered a deviation.

Cholesterol

It is a naturally occurring fatty alcohol, an organic compound that can be found in the cells of all living things. Despite the fact that this substance is scolded and condemned by manufacturers of low-fat foods and medicines, its benefits are significant - cholesterol ensures the stability of cell membranes, it participates in the synthesis of vitamin D, hormones of corticosteroids, and bile acids.

Elevated cholesterol levels are often a sign of liver disease, diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, pancreatic and thyroid diseases. A decrease in the substance according to the results of the analysis may indicate chronic ailments of the respiratory tract, anemia in the expectant mother, as well as an existing or recent infection.

Globulins

This is the total value of all blood proteins in the form of globules - balls. Their number indicates how protein processes proceed, how many proteins circulate in the blood of a pregnant woman. A sufficient number of them is a guarantee that a sufficient amount of hormones and vitamins is transported in the blood.

During pregnancy, the amount of globulins of all types and fractions decreases in all women. A decrease in excess of the norms established for expectant mothers can indicate various metabolic disorders, a deficiency of adequate nutrition.

An increase in the globulins of certain fractions indicates inflammation in the body.

Creatinine

It is a product that remains in the blood as a result of energy processes in muscle and other tissues. The substance in itself does not say anything, it is measured and evaluated only together with urea. So, fluctuations in creatinine against the background of increased urea are always evidence of poor kidney function.

Diastasis

It is an enzyme that helps the body break down carbohydrates and produce glucose, which is necessary for the life of all organs and systems, which provides energy for their work. A significant excess of diastase values indicates a malfunction of the pancreas, its inflammation or cancer formation.

An increased level of the enzyme may also be due to insufficient work of the kidneys, which normally remove diastase from the body. Also diastasis indices are important in case of suspected diabetes mellitus in a pregnant woman.

A decrease in diastase may indicate a cancerous tumor in the pancreas, or cystic fibrosis.

ALT and AST

These are enzymes: ALT is responsible for the normal functioning of the liver, AST - for the functioning of the heart. An increased level of these enzymes may indicate a problem with these organs.

Bilirubin

It is a breakdown product of hemoglobin. Elevated bilirubin may be due to liver problems, intoxication from a number of drugs. The growth of direct bilirubin often indicates the presence of infectious diseases in women - syphilis or hepatitis. Also, with an increased bilirubin, the body of a pregnant woman can respond to a parasitic disease or vitamin B12 deficiency.

In the third trimester, the level of bilirubin may rise slightly, this is due to the pressure of the grown uterus on neighboring organs, as a result of which the outflow of bile is disrupted. It doesn't count as a disease indicators of bilirubin return to normal a few days after childbirth.

A decrease in bilirubin may indicate anemia, because if the pigment that is formed during the breakdown of hemoglobin is small, then the hemoglobin itself is clearly not enough.

Minerals

These include iron, chlorine, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. All of them are direct participants in mineral metabolism and are very much needed not only by the mother, but also by the child in her womb. In case of deviation from the norms, each element is dealt with separately.

A lack of iron, for example, indicates anemia, and an excess of calcium indicates impaired renal function. The amount of minerals is considered in conjunction with other indicators of the analysis.