Question
The hospital where I had the test says that higher values indicate lower risk. Is that true? Do different hospitals use different calculation methods?
Answer
Case Analysis: Trisomy screening is a method that involves taking a pregnant woman’s serum sample to detect the concentration of alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin in the maternal serum, and combines the woman’s due date, age, weight, and gestational age at the time of sampling to calculate the risk coefficient of giving birth to a Down syndrome child. Down syndrome children have severe intellectual disabilities, cannot take care of themselves, and are accompanied by complex cardiovascular diseases, requiring long-term care from family members, which can impose a great mental and economic burden on the family. Guiding Opinion: Your trisomy screening indicates a critical high risk, suggesting a higher possibility of giving birth to a Down syndrome child. It is recommended to proceed with amniocentesis and fetal chromosome testing to determine whether the child has Down syndrome.