Establishing your due date or expected date of delivery (EDD) is important. It allows your doctor to monitor your baby’s growth and the progress of your pregnancy.   Often early pregnancy scans are able to detect the presence of a baby’s heartbeat from 6 weeks of pregnancy and can provide reassurance to parents.  

Knowing your due date also helps with scheduling tests and procedures, so they are performed at the right time.

What test is recommended?

A transvaginal ultrasound scan is used to determine the location of the pregnancy and the viability.   

Later on, more extensive blood tests may be required to:

 Check your blood type and Rhesus status.

 Measure your haemoglobin levels

 Check your immunity to certain infections

 Detect exposure to other infections. Your health care provider may suggest blood tests to detect infections such as hepatitis and HIV.

 Random Blood sugar

 Detect Urine infection by urine culture

Pain during first 6 weeks of Pregnancy

It is important to exclude an ectopic pregnancy. This means pregnancy is not inside the womb(uterus) but, mostly commonly, inside the Fallopian tube. 

Bleeding in Pregnancy

Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy has many causes.

It’s important to report any vaginal bleeding during pregnancy to your GP, consultant or nearest Early Pregnancy Unit. If bleeding is very heavy or associated with pain then you should attend nearest A&E (emergency department) of an NHS Hospital.