Looking for a Gynecologist Near You Who Provides Expert Prenatal Care? Look No Further! Dr. David Afram & His Team of Gynecology Specialists Offer Comprehensive Prenatal Care Services, In-Office Ultrasounds, Genetic Testing, & High Risk Pregnancy Consultations. To Schedule an Appointment, Please Call Your Nearest Location or Request an Appointment Online.
It’s vital for you to receive care from a gynecologist as soon as you start menstruation. Your risk for women’s health problems increases over time, which means gynecological care is a concern at all ages. Pregnancy is care is important as well, and Dr. Afram and his team at Capital Women’s Care, serving Fairfax, Haymarket, and Manassas, VA, offers services to help you conceive as well as care during pregnancy.
Pregnancy Planning Services
Part of the care women need for pregnancy may begin before conception. Dr. Afram offers you education to improve your overall health and chances of getting pregnant. It also helps make your pregnancy easier in many cases. If you’re having difficulty conceiving, Dr. Afram can assist or refer you to a specialist who can help.
Care During Pregnancy
Once you become pregnant, Dr. Afram and his team of ob-gyn specialists offer a wide array of services to keep you and your unborn baby healthy. For instance, we monitor your blood pressure and detect pre-eclampsia before it turns into eclampsia and causes complications. We also perform blood work to evaluate your hormone levels and provide intervention if necessary. Some of your blood work tests for infections that you can pass to your unborn child during delivery. Our obstetrician will perform a glucose test to analyze your blood sugar levels. If you have gestational diabetes, it can affect your pregnancy and unborn child negatively.
During your pregnancy, you’ll usually have three ultrasounds – one during each stage of your pregnancy. The first sonogram occurs anywhere between six to nine weeks, which gives you your first view of your baby, although he or she is only about the size of a bean at this point. You’ll have your second sonogram between 16 to 20 weeks into your pregnancy. We can see how your baby is growing, and if you desire to know the gender, we can usually tell at this point. At some point during your third trimester, you have your final sonogram. It’s a much more detailed image. Our obstetrician uses this sonogram to make sure your baby is growing properly. It also helps us see the position of your baby, so we can tell if your unborn child has moved to the proper location to prepare for birth. Additionally, we evaluate your baby’s movements to detect certain issues.
Unfortunately, about three to five percent of all babies born have a birth defect that’s sometimes genetic. Your baby may be at risk for some issues depending on your and the father’s heredity. We can provide testing before your pregnancy to evaluate your baby’s risk for conditions like the following:
- Fragile X syndrome
- Tay-Sachs disease
- Spinal muscular atrophy
- Sickle cell disease
- Cystic fibrosis
We can conduct some genetic testing during your pregnancy. For instance, we can test for Down syndrome, neurological disorders, and trisomy 18 between 10 to 13 weeks and may perform more extensive testing during the second trimester. These are just some of the genetic tests we perform.
Fortunately, only about six to eight percent of women require high-risk pregnancy services. Our office is able to accommodate and provide the appropriate care. For instance, your age impacts your pregnancy risks, in particular, if you’re under 17 or over 35. Other factors include if you had any exposure to toxic substances during pregnancy, have a history of miscarriage or a pre-existing condition, or are overweight or carrying multiple pregnancies.
Schedule an appointment with Capital Women’s Care today to schedule your first visit.