Screening during pregnancy: how doctors monitor the health of the mother and baby

      March 30, 2026 07:15 SocietyChild's health is largely determined even before birth. Modern medicine allows for the detection of serious congenital and genetic disorders at the earliest stages – during pregnancy and immediately after the baby is born. Prenatal and neonatal screenings are used for this purpose, helping doctors to notice potential problems in time and begin treatment.

      Olga Manuilenko, the chief physician of the City Clinical Hospital No. 40 and a leading specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at the regional health department, explained how these examinations work and why they are important.

      Even if the future mother leads a healthy lifestyle, eats properly, and follows medical recommendations, it is impossible to completely eliminate risks for the child. Some factors, including genetic traits, are beyond the woman's control. That is why prenatal screening is conducted during pregnancy. This is a comprehensive examination that every pregnant woman registered at a women's clinic undergoes.

      Screening is performed three times – in the first, second, and third trimesters. It includes ultrasound examination and blood tests. The main goal of such an examination is to identify women at increased risk of giving birth to a child with chromosomal disorders. If risks are detected, the patient is referred to a geneticist for further diagnosis.

      It is important to understand that a high risk is not a definitive diagnosis. It is merely a basis for more detailed examination, which helps to clarify the condition of the fetus and either confirm or exclude pathology.

      With the help of prenatal screening, a number of serious diseases can be identified. These include Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Patau syndrome. The examination also allows for the detection of severe congenital developmental anomalies, such as the absence of the brain or defects in the abdominal wall.

      Additionally, the combined screening of the first trimester gives doctors the opportunity to assess the likelihood of pregnancy complications. Among them are fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia, and the risk of premature birth.

      After the child is born, examinations do not end. Neonatal screening is conducted in the first days of life – mass testing of newborns for hereditary diseases. It aims to identify five diseases: phenylketonuria, hypothyroidism, cystic fibrosis, adrenal hyperplasia, and galactosemia. The peculiarity of these diseases is that they can occur even in children of healthy parents if they are carriers of altered genes.

      If both parents are carriers, the likelihood of having a child with the disease increases. "Screening allows for the early detection of the disease in newborns and, most importantly, timely initiation of treatment," the doctor concluded.

      It was previously reported that the procedure for providing medical assistance to children has been updated in Russia.

      Recall that starting in 2025, by order of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the national project "Long and Active Life" is being implemented. The goals of this project are aimed at conducting preventive medical examinations and dispensarization. In turn, the national project "Long and Active Life" is aimed at the expected increase in life expectancy by 2030 and involves the modernization of clinics, outpatient clinics, and health posts, attracting qualified medical personnel to medical institutions, applying new approaches in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic diseases, improving emergency medical care and rehabilitation systems, developing a network of national research centers, and digitizing the industry.

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