Question
Can a Down Syndrome test be done at 20 weeks of pregnancy?
Answer
The optimal time for screening is between the 15th to 20th week of pregnancy. Generally, pregnant women can receive the screening results within a week after the blood test. If the results are high-risk, there’s no need to panic as further procedures like amniocentesis and fetal chromosome testing are required for a definitive diagnosis. If the Down syndrome screening index exceeds the normal range for pregnant women, they should undergo amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. Only if the results of amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling are normal can the possibility of Down syndrome be ruled out with certainty.