![sequential testing pregnancy vs quad screen sequential testing pregnancy vs quad screen](https://i0.wp.com/www.downsyndromeprenataltesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Screen-Shot-2015-02-21-at-11.41.39-AM.png)
#Sequential testing pregnancy vs quad screen plus#
What are the tests that will be offered if my AFP PLUS test is screen positive? If you have a screen positive result, you should consider specific counseling to discuss further testing. In fact, only a small number of women with screen-positive results will have an abnormal baby. However, it does not prove by itself that there is anything wrong with the pregnancy.
![sequential testing pregnancy vs quad screen sequential testing pregnancy vs quad screen](https://image1.slideserve.com/2192639/slide9-l.jpg)
What does it mean if my AFP PLUS test result is screen positive?Ī positive AFP PLUS test means that you are in a higher likelihood group for having a baby with a neural tube defect or a chromosome abnormality. Approximately 60 to 80 percent of all pregnancies with trisomy 18 will be identified through AFP PLUS testing. The levels of AFP, estriol, hCG, and inhibin in the mother’s blood tend to be low in pregnancies affected with trisomy 18. In the later months of pregnancy, complications such as fetal growth restriction and fetal death may occur. Only one in 10 babies with trisomy 18 will survive past one year of age. Trisomy 18 is a very severe birth defect. However, like Down syndrome, it usually occurs unexpectedly and the likelihood increases as mothers get older. Trisomy 18 is much less common than Down syndrome - only one in every 8,000 babies will have it. In this case, every cell has an extra number 18 chromosome. Like Down syndrome, trisomy 18 is a birth defect caused by the presence of an extra chromosome. However, detection rates vary with maternal age, ranging from 70 percent in women under 35 to more than 90 percent in women 35 and older. Overall, approximately 80 percent of all pregnancies with Down syndrome will be identified through the AFP PLUS Quad Test. The levels of AFP and estriol in the mother’s blood tend to be low while the levels of hCG and inhibin tend to be elevated in pregnancies affected by Down syndrome. About 50 percent have medical problems such as heart defects. Children with Down syndrome have variable but predictable physical characteristics.
![sequential testing pregnancy vs quad screen sequential testing pregnancy vs quad screen](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qhlTHUZC7kM/hqdefault.jpg)
Down syndrome is always associated with moderate to severe developmental disability, often in the mild to moderate range. Although Down syndrome occurs more frequently as mothers get older, about 75 percent of babies with Down syndrome are born to women who are younger than 35. Down syndrome usually occurs unexpectedly, and about 98 percent of the time is not inherited. It is a disorder in which an extra chromosome (the number 21 chromosome) is present in the cells of the developing fetus from the time of conception. What is Down syndrome?ĭown syndrome is a common birth defect occurring in about one in every 700 babies. About 90 percent of all pregnancies with open neural tube defects will be identified through AFP PLUS testing. The level of AFP in the mother’s blood tends to be elevated when there is a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect. It usually results in either stillbirth or death shortly after birth. Almost one-third of babies born with open spina bifida will not survive past age five.Īnencephaly is a very severe birth defect in which the brain and the skull fail to develop properly. It often leads to a condition called hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and can sometimes cause mental moderate to severe developmental disability. Open spina bifida usually causes some amount of paralysis from the waist down and interferes with bowel and bladder control. Surgery to close the opening is usually performed shortly after birth, and additional surgery is often necessary later in infancy or childhood. It varies in severity depending on where it’s located on the spine and how big the opening is. Open spina bifida is an incomplete closure of the spine. One or two babies out of every 1,000 are born with a neural tube defect. Neural tube defects are a group of birth defects that include open spina bifida and anencephaly. If your test result is screen positive, it does not necessarily mean that your baby has one of these disorders, but it does mean that your doctor will suggest some additional testing. Ultimately, about one in 12 patients will have a "screen positive" AFP PLUS test result. It can tell you whether you have a high likelihood of having a baby with either a neural tube defect, Down syndrome, or trisomy 18. What can the AFP PLUS test tell me about my pregnancy?