Patient's question:
I am four months pregnant. Yesterday, I went to the hospital for a prenatal check-up, and one additional screening test was added: the Down syndrome screening. The doctor said it is necessary to rule out whether the child has Down syndrome. For the child's health, I underwent the test. Is Down syndrome screening used to prevent birth defects in children?Doctor's answer:
Generally speaking, in addition to routine examinations, some screening and teratogenic tests are also required during pregnancy. Down syndrome screening is mainly used to assess the risk of Down syndrome, trisomy 21, and trisomy 18. The usual examination period is from 15 weeks to 20 weeks. The results are typically expressed as low-risk and high-risk indicators. If the risk is critical, parents may need further prenatal diagnosis.