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Table 1-1

Preconception Risk Assessment: Laboratory Testinga

Recommended for All WomenRecommended Screening for Some Women

  • Hemoglobin level or hematocrit

  • Rh factor

  • Offer genetic screening for cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy.

  • Urine dipstick

  • Age-appropriate cervical cancer screening (Pap smear ± HPV co-testing)

  • Hepatitis B surface antigen

  • Rubella IgG

  • Illicit drug screen

  • Tuberculosis

  • Hepatitis C

  • Gonorrhea and chlamydia

  • HIV

  • Syphilis

  • Varicella IgG

  • Toxoplasmosis IgG

  • CMV IgG

  • Parvovirus B19 IgG

  • Consider genetic carrier screening for hemoglobinopathies, Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease, or other genetic diseases.

  • Lead level

Abbreviations: CMV, cytomegalovirus; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; HPV, human papillomavirus; IgG, immunoglobulin G.


aAdapted from

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Caring for Our Future: The Content of Parental Care. A Report of the Public Health Service Expert Panel. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 1989.