Patient's question:
When I went to the hospital for a check-up yesterday, the doctor told me that the AFP marker in the prenatal screening for Down syndrome was low. Will it affect the baby? Do I need to have another test? Should I take any medication? Or what else should I do?Doctor's answer:
Pregnant women usually undergo the Down syndrome screening between the 16th and 20th weeks of pregnancy, which primarily rules out the possibility of the child having trisomy 21 syndrome. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a tumor marker. The lower the value, the better. It's a good sign. This indicates that the baby is healthy. Parents don't need to worry too much. They just need to review the fetal heart rate monitoring and B-type ultrasound times. It is recommended that as long as the prenatal check-ups are done well and rest is paid attention to, it is fine.