What is prenatal screening?
Prenatal screening tests are non-invasive tests that calculate the risk for a birth defect to be present in a pregnancy based on a variety of factors, including maternal age, analyte levels in maternal blood, and sometimes specialized ultrasound measurements. Most women choose to begin with screening tests to further evaluate their personal level of risk for birth defects, before deciding whether or not to pursue diagnostic testing. Why is it important to be familiar with these screening tests? In 2007, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) stated that all pregnant women who present for prenatal care prior to 20 weeks gestation should be offered prenatal screening for Down syndrome. Therefore, physicians who work with pregnant women or women of reproductive age should have a basic level of knowledge regarding these tests. What are the conditions that screening tests are calculating a risk for? Prenatal screening is currently available for trisomy 21 (Down syndr