Special Tests That Detect Birth Defects During Pregnancy

It is hard to think that your kid might have special needs, but it is a distinct possibilty for anybody. For this reason, it is important to think about the possibilities that can happen. Doctors have come up with many tests that we can do during a pregnancy to test for certain birth defects in the fetuses. With these new innovations, we can know beforehand if our child will have special needs.

Almost all expecting mothers get an ultrasound at some point in thier pregnancy. It turns out that with this ultrasound, doctors can also look for abnormalities with the baby and can tell you if the fetus looks healthy. This can alert you to some kinds of birth defects at an early stage.

Another test that doctors can give is an Alpha-Fetoprotein Screen, or an AFP screen. This is a blood test performed between 15 and 18 weeks, and can detect nueral tube defects. These are the defects that cause Down syndrome and open neural tube defects. These tests are responsible for identifying 90% of open neural tube defects and 25% of Down sydrome cases.

Amniocentesis is performed between 14 and 18 weeks, anc can also test for Down syndrome and other chromosomal disorders.

Chorionic Villus sampling is also done during the first trimester to catch chromosomal disorders. Serum screening is a blood test done from 15 to 20 weeks. It’s results are combined with the AFP test results and can give you a risk factor for spina bifidia and for Down sydrome.

Cordocentesis is a tesst done later in the pregnancy for women who are at a high risk for chromosomal or genetic disorders. It is done between 18 and 24 weeks, and can catch many different abnormalities.

Fetoscopy is a newer and more modern procedure that involves extraction of umbilical cord and placental samples in order to check for various skin and blood disorders that can’t be detected by amniocentesis. It is done after 16 weeks of pregnancy, and comes with some risk to the fetus.

With all of these tests, expecting mothers can have a better chance of knowing about birth defects before birth than ever before.

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