Very often a pregnant woman is sent for the analysis of Down's syndrome , and rarely anyone explains what caused this need. It is worth noting that the development of medicine only recently allowed such a type of fetal research. Previously, only screening for Down's syndrome was performed, which showed indirect signs of the presence of such a fetal pathology. At the moment, there are much more ways to establish such a diagnosis.
Genetic analysis for Down syndrome
In the process of bearing a toddler, a woman faces the need to take a large number of tests and go through numerous studies. One such is a blood test for Down syndrome. We should not ignore its importance, because not all of us know our genetic heredity and bear great responsibility for the welfare of the unborn child. If the results of such a study are not comforting, and the geneticist presumes a manifestation of the pathology, then it is worth taking a test for Down syndrome. It involves the collection of the biological material of the child or amniotic fluid through the abdominal wall of the mother and its subsequent study.
Down syndrome risk
The chance of producing a "sunny child" is significantly increased in elderly parents when the age of a woman has exceeded 35 years, and men - 45. Also, cases of this phenomenon occur in too young mothers, and with incest, that is, marriages between close relatives. It is not necessary to dismiss the genetic predisposition of parents and fetus, irresponsible attitude to pregnancy planning and behavior during gestation. Therefore, a screening test of Down's syndrome is mandatory. It is he who makes it possible to confirm or refute the presence of pathologies in the fetus and make the right decision in time.
There are certain risk norms for Down's syndrome, which are determined by the results of ultrasound and correlate with the gestation period and the generally accepted boundaries of deviations. The doctor is interested in the length of the bones of the nose and the thickness of the collar space,
Down Syndrome Biochemistry Risk
Such an analysis allows us to determine the defect at the earliest stages of gestation, literally from 9-13 weeks. At the initial stage, the presence of a specific protein is established, the second one measures the individual component of the hormone HCG and so on. It should be noted that each laboratory may have its own risk criteria for Down's syndrome, therefore it is necessary to obtain explanations for the results at the place of delivery of the analysis.