How long is the best time to do Down syndrome screening during pregnancy?

Everyone hopes that their baby can be healthy, but many women are always very cautious during pregnancy for fear that their babies will have some problems. However, with the continuous advancement of technology, there are many congenital diseases in the medical field that can be detected through regular examinations during pregnancy. Among them, Down syndrome screening can well detect whether the fetus has congenital defects, especially Down syndrome screening is particularly accurate. So many people don’t know when to go for a check-up during pregnancy to make the test results more accurate. Let’s take a look at when it is better to do Down syndrome screening during pregnancy.

Down syndrome screening is a detection method that extracts serum from pregnant women, tests the concentrations of alpha-fetoprotein, chorionic gonadotropin and free estriol in the maternal serum, and calculates the risk of giving birth to a fetus with congenital defects based on the pregnant woman's due date, weight, age and gestational age at the time of blood collection.

How long is the best time to do Down syndrome screening during pregnancy?

1 First trimester Down syndrome screening

This examination is mainly performed when the pregnant mother is between 10th and 13th + 6th weeks of pregnancy, using two screening methods: "ultrasound" and "blood test". Dr. Huang Xuguang said that through ultrasound, the thickness of the fetal nuchal translucency can be clearly measured, and combined with blood tests, the plasma protein A value and human chorionic gonadotropin value in the mother's serum can be measured to estimate the risk of the fetus suffering from Down syndrome.

2. Screening for Down syndrome in the second trimester

Pregnant mothers will have their blood drawn between the 15th and 20th weeks of pregnancy. The hospital will test the levels of alpha-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, free estriol and inhibin in the serum, and then calculate the risk of the fetus suffering from Down syndrome based on the mother's age, weeks of pregnancy and weight.

Issues to note during inspection

There is no need to fast for Down syndrome screening, just draw peripheral blood from the pregnant woman. However, Down syndrome screening is related to the menstrual cycle, weight, height, accurate gestational age, and fetal age. Generally speaking, the best time for Down syndrome screening is between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. Expectant mothers should not forget to make an appointment with their prenatal check-up doctor.

Although many expectant mothers have questioned Down syndrome screening, and although the results of Down syndrome screening cannot accurately determine whether the baby is mentally retarded, it is after all the most economical, simple and non-destructive method to determine whether the baby is mentally retarded. If the results are suspicious, further amniocentesis can be performed.

Approximately a baby with Down syndrome is born every 20 minutes in our country. Children with Down syndrome have severe intellectual disabilities, are completely unable to take care of themselves, and carry multiple system complications that cannot be cured throughout their lives, thus placing a heavy mental and financial burden on their families. I wish every expectant mother to give birth to a healthy and smart baby!

The above is an introduction to how long it is better to do Down syndrome screening during pregnancy. After understanding it, we know that there are two better periods for Down syndrome screening. The first time is the 10th-13th week of pregnancy, and the second period is the 15th-20th week of pregnancy. Examinations during these two periods are more accurate. It is worth noting that women who become pregnant after the age of 35 must order Down syndrome screening to avoid some congenital diseases in the baby.