11 Weeks Prego

I just jumped on babycenter.com's blog - apparently billions and billions of women have this test in their 1st trimester with no apparent issues. But here is what the big buzz words were:

How old are you? (I'm not really asking). I know that Dr's have magical ages for which it all changes as to how high they place your risk.
Have you hit a "milestone" age between the birth of your last baby and your new pregnancy?

In addition to protein they can also check for sugar in your urine which would indicate risk for diabetes. Does your Dr consider your weight to be acceptable?

They can test for creatinine, which tells them about muscle metabolism and kidney function

Also pre-eclampsia (already mentioned) but that's a biggie.

I'm sure there is nothing to worry about - but ask your Dr why the extra fun?

When you peed in a cup at the doctor's office, there was probably something in your urine that shouldn't have been. Or maybe your blood pressure is on the high side? I had to do one, but it was at the very end of my pregnancy. It's my understanding that these sorts of tests measure the risk for preeclampsia, which can be mild or may be severe enough to require bedrest. Whatever the case, if you have questions or concerns about the how's and why's of what your doctor is recommending, ask him/her! You have every right to know the reason behind every test and procedure, and to demand a better explanation if you still have questions. Good luck to you, I hope everything turns out well for you and your pregnancy :)

I had the 24 hour urine test in my 36 weeks bc my blood pressure was high, and there was a little protein in my urine. So they were for preeclampsia which can cause seizures in women. To be sure, u should ask ur OB team. You are supposed to know these tests.

I have never heard of doing a 24 hr urine during pregnancy unless your bp was really high. I guess if it was high they would do it to be see if you were spilling protein in your urine which would mean pre-eclampsia and bed rest and medication. I would have asked the doc about why they were doing the test. When my doctor this time around ordered my third thyroid test and put on the lab slip for medication reasons I questioned him. He said, "well you are on medication and I have to monitor you." I looked at him and said, "medication? No, I am not, and it has been normal twice now." He had no idea where he got that from. So be sure to ask if anything seems strange.

I speak from experience--I had multiple 24 hour urine tests with both of my pregnancies. They want one the first trimester to know what your baseline or "normal" is in case your blood pressure does become a problem later. If they need another 24 hour test later in the pregnancy they already have your normal protein levels documented to know if they should worry or not. I hope that helps!