How many weeks of pregnancy should I do Down syndrome screening?

Down syndrome screening is a detection method that extracts serum from pregnant women, tests the concentration of various substances in the maternal serum, and combines multiple physiological indicators of the pregnant woman to calculate the risk factor of giving birth to a fetus with congenital defects. It is our main means of prenatal testing, and many expectant fathers and mothers are more concerned about how many weeks of pregnancy to do Down syndrome screening. Let us learn about it.

1. Down syndrome is also called trisomy 21 syndrome, congenital idiocy, which means that the patient's 21st pair of chromosomes has one more than the normal person (normal people have one pair), and it is the most common chromosomal aneuploidy disease. Down syndrome screening is performed at a specific gestational week by testing the levels of PAPPA, AFP, HCG, uE3 and Inhibin A in the pregnant woman's serum, combined with clinical information such as the pregnant woman's age, gestational age, weight, smoking status, and insulin-dependent diabetes, and the risk value is calculated using risk assessment software.

1. Down syndrome screening is divided into early detection and mid-term detection. The early detection is the 11-14 weeks Down syndrome screening called early Down syndrome, and the mid-term detection is the 15-20 weeks Down syndrome screening called mid-term Down syndrome. Most hospitals only do mid-term Down syndrome screening, which involves the same blood draw + B-ultrasound. However, to some extent, early Down syndrome screening is more accurate.

2. Down syndrome screening is an indicator that can only be checked between 15-21 weeks of pregnancy. It is mainly used to detect the possibility of the baby having Down syndrome. It can only be used as a reference and cannot be taken as the final word. Moreover, the doctor will determine whether you need this examination based on your physical condition. The examination only requires a blood test, which is usually done at the same time as other blood tests, and then combined with your recent B-ultrasound to determine the baby's risk of danger.

It can be seen that it is very important to do Down syndrome screening at a few weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, don’t be too nervous, maintain a good mood during pregnancy, do regular perinatal examinations, leave the fetal health examination to the doctor, and maintain a good attitude and a happy mood during pregnancy. This is the correct way to give birth to a healthy and smart baby. Finally, I wish you all good health and all your future babies are smart.