Trisomy is a condition that can lead to some very unfortunate events if it’s not detected in time, so it’s crucial to make sure that you find the best way to actually find out if your child is in danger or not.
There are a multitude of tests that allow you to detect if your child has trisomy, and most of them need to be performed in the prenatal period. In this article we are going to focus on some of the best prenatal tests for detecting trisomy:
NIPT (Non Invasive Prenatal Testing)
This prenatal test is performed on maternal blood and it basically involves the screening of pregnancies in order to find the chromosome anomalies. The best part about this test is the fact that it can be performed at any given time and it’s a recommended test in the case of high maternal ages. Find out more about NIPT here
NTD (Neural Tube Defect Screening)
This prenatal test assesses the risk for open NTD only and it’s performed between 16-18 weeks of age. It uses different medians depending on the race and other female characteristics, but it can be tailored to the specific needs of any person, even if they suffer from a certain medical condition. This test requires a little while to receive the results, but it’s accurate.
Down Syndrome Screening
This prenatal test is specifically created for the trisomy 21, this screening is suitable for the first or second trimester of pregnancy and it can determine if your child is predisposed to have trisomy 21. It’s a good test that manages to provide you with the information you need so that you can immediately reach the doctors and undergo treatment, if the issue is encountered.
Trisomy 18 Screening
As the name implies, this is a prenatal test that has been created specifically to determine if the child has predisposal to the trisomy 18. It’s a simplistic test similar to the trisomy 21 test in nature, without any major differences.
CVS (Chronic Villus Sampling)
This type of prenatal test is suitable for diagnosing a wide range of chromosomal problems very fast and with complete efficiency. This process requires the extraction of a chorionic villi and then analysing it in order to see if the cells have more than 2 chromosomes. The procedure is fast, and the results are accurate most of the time, which makes CVS a good way to detect trisomy.
Amniocentesis
This prenatal test is offered mostly to women over 35 during the pregnancy period and, pretty much like the others displayed above, it allows the doctors to determine if there are any chromosomal problems and make suggestions on what next steps should be done.
These are the best prenatal tests for detecting trisomy. If you want to be certain that your child doesn’t have any chromosomal problems, then choosing one of these tests is crucial as they will surely provide a good insight!
References:
http://www.trisomy18.org/site/PageServer?pagename=parents_diagnosed
http://www.questdiagnostics.com/testcenter/testguide.action?dc=CF_PrenatScreen
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