How long does it take to get the Down syndrome screening results?

As we all know, prenatal check-ups are particularly important during the pregnancy period, and one of the more important tests is what we often call Down syndrome screening, which mainly refers to the prenatal selection test for Down syndrome. It is particularly important for pregnant women. We must understand that once there is a certain mistake, no one can accept such damage. Therefore, when conducting Down syndrome screening, everyone should know when it is more appropriate to do it and understand some practical matters.

How long does it take to get the Down syndrome screening results?

Under normal circumstances, the results of Down syndrome screening are generally related to the level of the hospital and the level of hospital outpatient services. If you do Down syndrome screening in a tertiary hospital, most of the time you can get the results on the same day. This is mainly because tertiary hospitals have a larger population doing Down syndrome screening, the equipment is more advanced, and local hospital experts can do it. Therefore, in this case, the report can be issued relatively quickly, and most of the time, the results can be obtained on the same day. If a county-level hospital is generally unable to perform Down syndrome screening, the specimen can be collected and sent to the outpatient department of a higher-level hospital for examination. The test results will take about a week to come. Although some hospitals have the conditions for Down syndrome screening tests, there are relatively few patients in the hospitals, and most of them will issue reports within about 3 days. Therefore, how long it takes to get the report of Down syndrome screening depends on the situation of the outpatient department of the hospital where the patient is treated.

When is the best time to do Down syndrome screening?

Pregnant women should pay attention to the fact that there is a certain time limit when conducting Down syndrome screening. It is not good to test too early or too late. Generally, pregnant women are tested within 15 to 20 weeks, and the best results are achieved within 16 to 18 weeks. The Down syndrome screening test is mainly to conduct blood tests, and then measure the age, number of days of pregnancy and weight of the pregnant woman to calculate the risk of the fetus having Down syndrome.

Many pregnant women are concerned about whether such a test has certain risks? You should know that this test is currently a relatively safe and convenient test, and it does not pose any risks to pregnant women and fetuses. As long as the pregnant woman draws some blood within a certain period of time, the test can be carried out, so there is no risk. In addition, when conducting such an examination, pregnant women do not need to fast, but they still need to follow the doctor's instructions to avoid examination errors.

Down syndrome screening can only detect a small number of babies with Down syndrome. In other words, it can only help to identify and cannot be said to be necessarily accurate. Therefore, if the risk of Down syndrome is found to be high after the examination, further examination is needed, such as amniocentesis, and then a more accurate diagnosis can be made. Only in this way can the possibility of Down syndrome be completely eliminated.