Pregnancy can feel overwhelming, especially if it's your first — between tests, scans, and appointments, it's easy to feel like you have no idea what's actually happening or why. You're not alone, and BabyQuil is here with you. (Still working out whether you're pregnant in the first place? See our pregnancy test methods guide instead.) This page guides you through every common pregnancy test — blood type, anemia, glucose tolerance, Group B strep, and more — the weeks they're usually done, and what each one actually checks, plus a summary table to keep it all straight. Looking for the NT scan specifically? That's an ultrasound measurement, covered in our scan schedule guide — NIPT, which is a blood test, is covered below.
At a glance, by trimester: first trimester — blood type, anemia, infection screening, urine test; second trimester — glucose tolerance test; third trimester — repeat anemia check, Group B strep swab, Anti-D if needed. Blood pressure and urine are checked at nearly every visit throughout.
| Test | Type | Typical timing | What it checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood type & Rh factor | Blood | First trimester | Your blood group, and whether you're Rh positive or negative |
| Full blood count | Blood | First trimester, repeated around 28 weeks | Hemoglobin (anemia), white cell and platelet counts |
| Infection screening | Blood | First trimester | HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and rubella immunity |
| NIPT | Blood | From 10 weeks | Screens for chromosomal conditions using your baby's DNA in your blood |
| RhD NIPT | Blood | From 11 weeks, if Rh negative | Predicts your baby's Rh status from a blood sample |
| Urine test | Urine | Most visits | Protein (a pre-eclampsia sign), glucose, and infection |
| Blood pressure check | Vital sign | Every visit | Monitors for high blood pressure and possible pre-eclampsia |
| Glucose tolerance test | Blood | 24–28 weeks | Gestational diabetes |
| Group B strep (GBS) swab | Swab | 35–37 weeks | A common bacteria that can affect your baby during birth if untreated |
| Anti-D injection | Injection | Around 28 and 34 weeks, if Rh negative | Prevents antibodies that could affect a future pregnancy |
Exact tests offered, timing, and whether something is universal or risk-based varies by country and provider — this table shows typical patterns, not a guaranteed schedule.
At your first prenatal visit, a round of baseline blood tests gets ordered almost everywhere. This includes your blood type and Rh factor (useful to know in case you ever need a transfusion, and relevant for the Anti-D injection discussed below), a full blood count to check for anemia, and screening for infections including HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B, plus a check of your immunity to rubella. None of these require any special preparation — they're drawn alongside whatever else is done at that visit.
NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing) is a blood test, not a scan — it looks at small fragments of your baby's DNA that circulate in your blood, and can be done from around 10 weeks. It screens for chromosomal conditions such as Down syndrome, and like the NT scan, it's a screening test rather than a diagnosis. If you're Rh negative, a related but separate test called RhD NIPT can be done from around 11 weeks to predict your baby's Rh status from the same kind of blood sample — useful because it can mean skipping unnecessary Anti-D injections if your baby turns out to be Rh negative too.
These two are quick and routine, checked at nearly every antenatal appointment rather than at one specific time. Your urine is checked for protein, which can be an early sign of pre-eclampsia, as well as glucose and signs of infection. Your blood pressure is checked the same way — a rise later in pregnancy is also something providers watch for as a pre-eclampsia sign.
This test checks for gestational diabetes — diabetes that develops during pregnancy, usually resolving afterward. You'll drink a sugary liquid, then have your blood sugar measured at set intervals afterward. If an initial shorter version comes back high, it's usually followed by a longer, more definitive glucose tolerance test — a single higher reading doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes, and plenty of people who need the follow-up test go on to have a normal result.
Group B strep (GBS) is a common bacteria that many people carry without any symptoms at all. It's usually harmless to you, but can occasionally be passed to your baby during birth and cause a serious infection if untreated. The test itself is simple — a vaginal and rectal swab, similar to any other swab test. If you test positive, you'll typically be offered antibiotics during labor rather than beforehand.
If you're Rh negative and your baby turns out to be Rh positive, your body can develop antibodies against your baby's blood if the two mix — which can happen during birth, bleeding, or certain procedures. Those antibodies aren't usually a concern for this pregnancy, but can matter for a future one if you're carrying another Rh-positive baby later. The standard approach in Australia is two Anti-D injections, around 28 and 34 weeks, plus an additional dose after specific events like bleeding — your provider may do things differently depending on your situation and local guidelines.
Here's a genuine difference worth knowing about: the UK's NHS generally only screens for gestational diabetes if you have specific risk factors, with a test soon after your booking visit and another at 24 to 28 weeks if the first was normal. The US and Australia both take a different approach, offering the glucose tolerance test to everyone at 24 to 28 weeks regardless of risk factors. Neither approach is wrong — they reflect different reads of the same evidence by different health systems, which is exactly the kind of thing worth asking your own provider about if you're curious why your experience doesn't match what you've read elsewhere.
It's easy to blur pregnancy tests and pregnancy scans together, so it's worth being clear: everything on this page uses a blood sample, a urine sample, or a swab — no imaging involved. Scans, like the dating scan or the morphology scan, use ultrasound instead. Some screening for chromosomal conditions can be done either way (the NT scan is an ultrasound measurement, NIPT is a blood test) — see our antenatal scan schedule guide for that comparison, including why a screening result is never the same thing as a diagnosis.
Once you know your due date, check your antenatal scan schedule, put together your birth plan, and start packing your hospital bag.
This page draws on NHS guidance (UK), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (US), and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, an Australian Government health information service. Which tests are offered, their timing, and whether something is universal or risk-based varies by country, provider, and individual pregnancy — always confirm your own schedule with your doctor or midwife.
This page provides general information and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Which tests are offered, timing, and cost vary by country and provider — confirm your own schedule with your doctor or midwife.
Results, dates, and questions for your next visit — BabyQuil keeps your appointment history and doctor's notes together, so you're never digging through old messages to remember what a test actually showed.
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