How do screening for pregnancy?

The question of how pregnancy screening is done is of interest to almost every woman in the situation that first heard of such a study. To begin with, it should be noted that during the entire period of bearing the baby the expectant mother undergoes this examination twice. Such a study, as the first screening, during pregnancy is done at the end of the first trimester (10-13 weeks). A second examination is about mid-term. Let's look at each of them separately, and tell you about the specifics of their conduct.

How is the first screening done during pregnancy and what does it include?

Before talking about how screening is done for pregnant women, it should be noted that the first such study includes biochemical analysis of blood and ultrasound.

The aim of the laboratory study is to identify early genetic disorders, including Edwards syndrome and Down's syndrome. To exclude such anomalies, the concentration of such biological substances as the free subunit of hCG and PAPP-A (pregnancy-associated protein A) is checked. If we talk about how this stage of screening is carried out during pregnancy, then for a pregnant woman it does not differ from the usual analysis - the donation of blood from the vein.

Ultrasound at the first screening during pregnancy is conducted with the purpose:

• determination of the thickness of the collar space - the amount of subcutaneous fluid that accumulates on the surface of the neck of the baby;
• more precise timing of gestation;
• establishing the number of fetuses in the uterus.

How is the second screening done during pregnancy?

Re-examination is carried out as early as 16-18 weeks. It is called a triple test and includes:

• establishment of the level of total hCG or free subunit of HCG in the blood;
• determination of the level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP);
• setting the concentration of free estriol (E3).

Such a study, as ultrasound screening for pregnancy, is done for the second time already at week 20. At this time, the doctor can diagnose various types of anomalies, malformations with a high degree of accuracy.

Thus, it must be said that both screening must be performed during pregnancy. This allows us to identify possible violations and abnormalities of fetal development in the early stages of the formation of a small organism.