Patient's question:
Currently at 18 weeks of pregnancy. Two days ago, I had a color Doppler ultrasound, which showed everything was normal. Today, I had a triple screen test, with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) at 85.98, and the reference range is 0.00-5.81 IU/ml. The doctor said it's a bit high. My blood glucose test results were normal, and both my complete blood count and urinalysis were normal. The liver function test results showed no hepatitis B antibodies, and other liver function tests were normal. This is my first pregnancy.Past Treatment and Effectiveness:
Around three months into the pregnancy, I had two episodes of bleeding. I took medication for maintaining the pregnancy and vitamin E pills, and the bleeding has now stopped.
Help Needed:
Could you please tell me what the normal value of alpha-fetoprotein is, and whether my test results are normal? I've searched online for a lot of information, but the normal values are in different units, and I'm not sure if mine is normal. Thank you, doctor.
Doctor's answer:
The normal reference value of alpha-fetoprotein should be around 8, but during pregnancy, alpha-fetoprotein can increase because the liver of the fetus grows very actively during pregnancy. This alpha-fetoprotein can decrease. In addition to being a tumor marker for the liver, alpha-fetoprotein is also an indicator of very active liver cell fibrosis. During pregnancy, it is important to actively undergo prenatal examinations and supplement with more vitamins.