What should I do if there is a high risk item in Down syndrome screening?

For pregnant mothers who have a high-risk item in the Down syndrome screening, they must be very anxious, fearing that there is something wrong with their baby. So what should I do if I find a high risk item in the Down syndrome screening? Next, this article will introduce you to what to do if there is a high-risk item in the Down syndrome screening. Friends who want to know more about this knowledge can take a look together! Please see the detailed introduction below.

Every expectant mother should not ignore Down syndrome screening after entering the second trimester (14th to 20th week of pregnancy). The so-called Down syndrome screening is to draw blood serum from pregnant women for testing, and calculate the risk factor of the fetus suffering from Down syndrome based on the pregnant woman's expected date of delivery, age, weight and gestational age at the time of blood collection.

The Ministry of Health stipulates that all pregnant women should undergo Down syndrome screening between 14 and 19 weeks of pregnancy. For women who are over 35 years old and want to get pregnant, it is recommended to receive eugenics consultation before pregnancy. In fact, due to the uncertainty of the current causes of Down syndrome, older pregnant women, pregnant women with a history of viral infection, chromosomal abnormalities in one of the spouses, drug abuse, habitual abortion, etc. may all induce Down syndrome.

What should I do if a high-risk item is found in the Down syndrome screening?

When many expectant mothers learn that the results of Down syndrome screening are high risk, they consider having an abortion for fear of giving birth to a deformed baby. In fact, if the test result is positive, it only means that the fetus has a high chance of having Down syndrome, but it does not mean that the fetus must be a child with Down syndrome or that the fetus is abnormal.

According to experts, a positive Down syndrome screening result indicates that there is a certain risk that the fetus may be a Down syndrome baby, and amniocentesis should be performed as soon as possible for prenatal diagnosis to confirm whether the fetus is abnormal. Once any abnormality is discovered, the pregnancy should be terminated promptly.

But it is also emphasized that even if the results of the Down syndrome screening are low risk, it does not mean that the child is necessarily safe. A negative Down syndrome screening result indicates that the possibility of the fetus being a child with Down syndrome is extremely small, but due to the limitations of the testing technology, there is still a false negative rate of 0.05% (that is, among 2,000 negative results, there is one child with Down syndrome). Therefore, pregnant women with negative screening results are reminded that they should continue to have prenatal checkups during the rest of their pregnancy. Once abnormalities such as excessive amniotic fluid, high umbilical vascular resistance, and fetal choroidal edema are found, they should be careful to rule out the possibility of having a child with Down syndrome.

Expectant mothers must not spend the entire pregnancy in worry. On the contrary, the mother's emotions are crucial to the child's development. Regular check-ups and happily welcoming new life can give birth to a healthy baby.

The above is an introduction on what to do if a high-risk item is found in the Down syndrome screening. I believe that after reading the above introduction, you will have a clear understanding of what to do if there is a high-risk item in the Down syndrome screening. In fact, when there is a high-risk item in the Down syndrome screening, it does not mean that the fetus is a deformed baby, it just means that the risk of deformity is higher. Therefore, it is very important to do relevant examinations during pregnancy so that you can give birth to a healthy baby.