How to make up for not having Down syndrome screening

During pregnancy, pregnant women are more worried about the baby being born with defects, which is very unacceptable for every family. In order to reduce the risk of having a defective baby, many people undergo Down syndrome screening during pregnancy. So, when should Down syndrome screening be done? How to save the situation without Down syndrome screening?

How to save the situation if you didn't do Down syndrome screening

Down syndrome screening can be carried out in two stages: 9-13 weeks of pregnancy is early pregnancy screening, 14-21 weeks is mid-pregnancy screening. Generally, mid-pregnancy examination is more common. It is believed that the best screening time is 15-20 weeks of pregnancy.

When a woman finds out she is pregnant, she needs to go to the hospital regularly for prenatal checkups, not only to understand the physical condition of the expectant mother, but also to know the growth and development of the fetus in real time. In the twelfth week of pregnancy, it is necessary to check weight, blood pressure, listen to the fetal heart rate, the size of the uterus, draw blood and urine for tests, and obtain past medical records. When the pregnancy reaches the second trimester around 13 to 16 weeks, Down syndrome screening should be carried out. If it is discovered in time, it may be possible to correct it through early intervention and the child will be normal after birth.

The general procedure for Down syndrome screening is to first conduct a phase I screening, in which ultrasound and blood tests are used to estimate the risk of the fetus having Down syndrome when the expectant mother is 9-13 weeks pregnant; in the second phase screening, blood tests are done at 15-20 weeks of pregnancy, and the estimation is made based on the results of the first phase.

If the risk is high, you may want to do chorionic villus sampling, which is an invasive test that requires careful communication with your doctor, or amniocentesis, which is also an invasive test but carries less risk than chorionic villus sampling. According to the above procedure, more accurate results can usually be obtained.

Down syndrome is a congenital defect that causes intellectual disability, with a prevalence rate of around 0.5‰. The patient also has a unique appearance, physically backward development and intellectual disability. A mentally disabled child will cause great pressure on the family.

Down syndrome screening is of special significance. For pregnant women, by checking blood cell markers, they can select key candidates whose fetuses are most likely to have Down syndrome for subsequent diagnosis-related examinations. If the fetus is finally diagnosed with this congenital disease, the pregnant woman can decide whether to get pregnant again.

Every pregnant mother must take responsibility for herself and her family, and should not lose more than she gains because of temporary savings. Down syndrome screening is still necessary.