Patient's question:
My friends call me to do the Down syndrome screening. Yesterday, we went to the hospital for a thorough check-up because we didn't know that Down syndrome screening requires fasting. So, we only did many routine tests and didn't do the Down syndrome screening. The doctor asked me to come back in two days in the morning on an empty stomach for the check-up.Do I need to fast for the Down syndrome screening?
Doctor's answer:
Do not eat dinner before the Down syndrome screening, as it involves drawing blood while fasting to rule out congenital abnormalities. If the results of the Down syndrome screening are abnormal, further prenatal diagnosis is necessary. High-risk women for 18-body syndrome and 13-body syndrome. Non-invasive DNA prenatal testing technology requires the collection of pregnant women's venous blood to measure free DNA fragments in maternal peripheral plasma and implement bioinformatics analysis to obtain fetal genetic information, testing how the fetus may be affected by the three major chromosomal diseases. Therefore, it is not necessary to fast and can be checked at any time. However, different hospitals may have different recommendations, so it is best to have the test in the morning. Based on your situation, if the doctor requires this type of test, you can schedule it. Avoid consuming extremely cold and hard foods, carefully observe any discomfort, and undergo regular prenatal check-ups.