Patient's question:
The other day, I took my wife for the 24-week screening, and the results indicated a high risk. What does this mean? Is it necessary to have an amniocentesis?Doctor's answer:
Down syndrome screening is primarily a risk assessment method for prenatally identifying conditions such as Down syndrome and neural tube defects, but it is not a diagnostic test. Down syndrome screening is only a preliminary screening for trisomy 21. A high risk does not necessarily confirm the presence of trisomy 21. If the screening results are high-risk, further diagnostic tests such as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) or amniocentesis may be required.Down syndrome screening is a method that involves extracting maternal blood to test for the levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and free estriol in the serum, and then combining this with the pregnant woman's due date, weight, age, and gestational age at the time of blood collection to estimate the risk of giving birth to a child with congenital defects.
Additionally, it is important to maintain good nutrition, consume high-quality protein foods, rest properly, and avoid overexertion. Regular prenatal check-ups are also necessary.