Is it necessary to do Down syndrome screening during pregnancy?

Many pregnant women and their families have this question, that is, whether it is necessary to do Down syndrome screening. Those who support it think that although it costs a little money, it is still necessary to do it because it can help them understand the condition of themselves and the fetus in their womb. People who don't want to do it think that the accuracy of Down syndrome screening is too low and it is a waste of money. Besides, society is so well developed now and people's nutrition is so good, how could there be such regrets? There is no need to do it at all. Based on these two viewpoints, let's talk about whether it is necessary to do Down syndrome screening during pregnancy?

Down syndrome screening test is the abbreviation of prenatal screening test for Down syndrome. Down syndrome is also called trisomy 21, congenital idiocy. It means that the patient has one more chromosome in the 21st pair than the normal person (normal people have one pair). It is the most common chromosomal aneuploidy disease.

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. If the results of the Down screening test show that the fetus is at a higher risk of Down syndrome, further confirmatory tests should be carried out - amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.

Experts suggest that Down syndrome screening is a very necessary screening method. As to whether Down syndrome screening is necessary, expectant mothers should communicate with their obstetrician and respect the doctor's advice. Especially the following 7 types of expectant mothers must do Down syndrome screening.

1. Age above 35 years old.

2. Have given birth to an abnormal child.

3. Unexplained fetal growth retardation.

4. Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.

5. There is a history of taking medication in early pregnancy, but I don’t know whether this medication has any effect.

6. Exposure to harmful substances in early pregnancy.

7. If there is a history of birth defects in the family, Down syndrome screening should be done during the first pregnancy.

The above is the experts’ conclusion on whether Down syndrome screening is necessary. Everyone believes that although Down syndrome screening is not a very accurate screening method, it is very effective in preventing Down syndrome. Therefore, when a non-invasive and highly accurate examination method has not been found, Down syndrome screening is still necessary, because through screening, you are not only responsible for yourself but also for the fetus in your womb.