AFP test - Pregnancy

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AFP test

An AFP or maternal serum AFP test is a blood test that is carried out between week 16 and week 18 of pregnancy to test for any potential challenges to your baby’s development. The AFP test can be combined with other hormone tests making it a triple screen, quad screen or penta screen.

AFP or alpha-fetoprotein is a substance excreted by your baby’s liver into your bloodstream and too much or too little of it can indicate fetal problems including:

  • omphalocele and other abdominal wall defects
  • neural tube defects
  • esophageal and duodenal atresia
  • some renal and urinary tract anomalies
  • Turner syndrome
  • Down syndrome
  • Placental complications

AFP tests are good, because if there is a problem they allow both you and your doctor to prepare to give your baby all the care he or she will need. However, AFP tests have been known to give false positives quite frequently. This is a problem for two reasons:

1. Mum can’t help but worry, making pregnancy unpleasant

2. Most physicians like to carry out follow up tests, such as an amniocentesis or CVS, which are risky.

It is important to remember that the results only indicate your baby’s risk level for certain medical conditions and complications and that the AFP test is not mandatory. You can choose whether you have it or not.

 

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