What is the Down Syndrome Screening?

Question

What is the Down Syndrome Screening?

Answer

The optimal time for performing the Down Syndrome Screening in early pregnancy is between 11 to 12 weeks. This test involves extracting blood from the pregnant woman and measuring the concentrations of alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin in her maternal serum, combined with her due date, age, weight, and gestational age at the time of blood draw, to estimate the risk of the fetus having Down syndrome. Over the years, women over 35 years of age have been considered a high-risk group domestically and internationally, and prenatal diagnosis for Down syndrome is recommended. If the serum screening result is positive, further amniocentesis is required for confirmation and to provide solutions.