Third Trimester Surrogacy Tests: What to Expect

When having a child via Surrogate, just getting to that third trimester can feel like a giant victory – and it is! Congratulations are in order. But before you can meet your new child, here are some of the tests you might expect to see in this final part of your journey to expand your family. 

• General Tests: Each time a Surrogate visits the doctor, they will be asked to provide a urine sample which will be screened for protein, sugar, bacteria and possible dehydration. Your Surrogate’s doctor will also monitor things like her blood pressure, her uterine growth and the baby’s heartbeat.
• Amniocentesis: While normally a second trimester test, it is sometimes recommended in the third trimester following a poor result on a non-invasive chromosome screening. The goal of the test is to remove a small amount of fluid that will contain cells shed by the fetus. The process is generally brief and presents only minor discomfort for your Surrogate.

• Kick-count Test: Doctors generally order this test – also known as the movement test − if your Surrogate is either past her due date or if she indicates that she doesn’t notice much fetal movement/is carrying multiples. The test is quite simple. Your Surrogate will lie on her side and count how long it takes to feel 10 movements. This can take anywhere from minutes to hours.
• Non-Stress Test: Typically ordered after a poor kick-count test, a non-stress test can be routine for women carrying multiples, or who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and as early as 26 weeks into the pregnancy. For this test, doctors will use a monitor to observe how the baby’s heartbeat responds as they move around. Your Surrogate indicates when she feels motion and doctors will reference that against the heart rate. This test normally takes less than an hour.
• Group B Streptococcus Test: While many women carry the Group B Strep bacteria without any symptoms, it does carry the potential for complications. As a result, doctors will screen for GBS around 28 weeks into the pregnancy. 
• Cervical Change: Around 34-36 weeks, your Surrogate’s doctor will begin conducting pelvic exams, looking for changes in the Surrogate’s cervix, which will shorten, thin out or open as labor approaches.
• Biophysical Profile: This test is only done in the event of an overdue pregnancy, or in the instance of other complications, like low amniotic fluid, decreased movement or placenta issues. A hybrid of sorts, between a non-stress test and a normal ultrasound, this test gives your Surrogate’s doctor insight as to whether or not the fetus is in distress and whether childbirth ought to be induced.

REMEMBER: nobody can predict exactly how a pregnancy will go, or when the new addition to your family will finally join the world. You and your Surrogate are in this together, along with your team at Simple Surrogacy. If you are interested in surrogacy, egg donation or becoming a parent through alternative family planning, please contact us today.