A nurse is reinforcing teaching about laboratory testing with a client who is at 6 weeks of gestation.
Which of the following statements should the nurse include?

Choice A rationale

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a bacterium that can colonize the genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts. Screening for GBS is typically performed between 35 and 37 weeks of gestation, not 36 weeks exactly, using a vaginal and rectal swab culture. This timing allows for identification and treatment with intrapartum antibiotics, such as penicillin or ampicillin, to prevent vertical transmission to the newborn during labor and delivery, which can lead to serious neonatal infections like sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis.

Choice B rationale

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) screening is a blood test typically performed between 15 and 20 weeks of gestation, with optimal timing around 16 to 18 weeks. It is used to screen for potential chromosomal abnormalities and neural tube defects. Performing this screening at 6 weeks of gestation would be too early, as the levels of alpha-fetoprotein would not be sufficiently elevated or stable enough to provide accurate and reliable diagnostic or screening information for fetal anomalies.

Choice C rationale

Screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is generally performed between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation using an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). This period allows for the detection of glucose intolerance that develops during pregnancy, often due to increasing insulin resistance caused by placental hormones. Screening at 12 weeks of gestation would be too early, as the physiological changes leading to GDM typically manifest later in pregnancy.

Choice D rationale

While regular urine specimens are important throughout pregnancy to screen for conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), pre-eclampsia, and gestational diabetes, the frequency of "every 2 months" for a clean-catch urine specimen is not a standard routine. Typically, a urine specimen is collected at each prenatal visit, which is often more frequent than every 2 months, especially as pregnancy progresses. This allows for ongoing monitoring of various parameters.