Perinatal screening of the first trimester

Not always pregnancy proceeds against the background of complete well-being. To as early as possible to identify possible pathologies and take appropriate measures, all pregnant women should not neglect the registration and attendance of doctors. One of the screenings for future mothers is screening. This is the modern complex diagnostic method, which gives the doctor information about the child's health and the course of pregnancy. The first perinatal screening is carried out in 1 trimester at a period of 10-14 weeks, the most optimal time is the period from 11 to 12 weeks. Screening includes ultrasound, as well as a blood test. The purpose of this method is to identify possible genetic abnormalities in the fetus.

Indications for perinatal screening for the first trimester

This examination is not included in the list of mandatory for all pregnant women and should be prescribed according to the indications, and all other future mothers are limited to ultrasound diagnosis only. But most often doctors recommend to pass it to all women to rule out serious violations in the development of the fetus.

Indications for perinatal screening for 1 trimester are the following:

• in the anamnesis of the woman there was a frozen pregnancy, a miscarriage, a stillborn child;
• one of the relatives of the spouses has genetic diseases;
• in the first weeks of pregnancy a woman was ill, taking medicine;
• age of mother over 35;
• one of the spouses in his life fell under the influence of radiation.

Ultrasound screening for 1 trimester

The first stage is the passage of ultrasound diagnosis, which is conducted by a geneticist. The doctor will study the following parameters:

• length of the embryo (coccyx-parietal size);
• the size of the collar zone, which is an important marker of pathologies at a given time;
• size of head and nasal bone;
• symmetry of the cerebral hemispheres;
• length of bones;
• size of the abdomen, heart;
• the alignment of the internal organs to their places.

Having carefully studied all the data, the doctor may suspect the presence of a number of genetic diseases, for example, Down syndrome or Edwards or their absence.

Perinatal biochemical screening for the first trimester

The second stage is the analysis of venous blood. Perinatal biochemical screening is also called a "double test". It includes the study of such placental proteins as PAPP-A and free b-hCG. Further, the data is processed in a computer program taking into account the results of ultrasound. For processing, other data are used, for example, such as the age of a woman, the presence of IVF , diabetes, bad habits.

Transcript of perinatal screening for the first trimester

It is best to entrust the evaluation of the results of the diagnosis to the observing physician, and not to try to make conclusions on your own. The results of perinatal screening of the first trimester after treatment in a computer program are issued as a special conclusion. It shows the results of the study and calculates the risks of pathologies. The main indicator is a special quantity, which is called MoM. It characterizes the extent to which the values ​​are rejected from the norm. An experienced specialist, studying the research results form, will be able to see not only the risk of genetic abnormalities, but also the probability of other pathologies. For example, the values ​​of placental proteins may deviate from the norm of perinatal screening of the first trimester also with the threat of interruption, preeclampsia, fetal hypoxia and other obstetric pathologies.

If the examination showed a high risk of Down syndrome or another anomaly, this can not yet be considered an accurate diagnosis. The gynecologist will definitely issue a referral for specifying diagnostics.