Should you go for a prenatal testing?

Prenatal testing during pregnancy should only be undertaken after making an informed decision regarding the risks involved, the dependability of the reports, and the effect of the results.

Prenatal Test Categories

Screening tests:  Comprise blood tests and ultrasounds and are routinely conducted in most pregnancies. These help identify the likelihood of a baby having certain conditions. No significant risks are involved in screening tests. However, the accuracy of the diagnoses is inconclusive.

Diagnostic tests: If a screening test indicates the possibility of a condition — or the mother’s family history or age exposes her to increased risk of having a baby with a congenital problem, more invasive prenatal diagnostic test, such as chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis may be considered. However, these tests carry a minor risk of miscarriage.

Advantages of Prenatal testing

Prenatal testing detects both chromosomal problems (like Down Syndrome) and structural defects (like heart conditions). Three commonly conducted tests are:

1. Maternal Serum Alpha-fetoprotein (or triple screen) is performed between 16 and 18 weeks. This simple blood test shows elevated risks for some chromosomal irregularity and neural tube defects (like spina bifida, non-fusion of the spine, or anencephaly (malformation of the brain).
2. Ultrasound is offered around 16-18 weeks when the baby is mature enough to detect abnormalities, yet young enough to abort. This also allows the doctor to confirm pregnancy dates and check on fetal development. Expectant mothers over 35 must undergo an ultrasound as they fall within the high risk group.
3. Amniocentesis is the removal of amniotic fluid from the abdomen using a needle to detect chromosomal irregularity precisely. There is a .5-1% risk of miscarriage associated with the procedure. The risk triples if conducted prior to 15 weeks.

Though most conditions identified in utero are untreatable, some like bladder blockage and spina bifida are now treated while the baby is still in the womb.

Most expectant parents believe they have a right to have a perfect baby and depend on physicians to tell them so. But problems such as sightlessness, deafness, and mental problems, cannot be detected.

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Prenatal Testing

Pros

• Prenatal testing helps relieve apprehension.
• The results warn parents regarding birth defects and give them time to accept and prepare for them.
• Testing also helps parents organize specialized medical care with a neonatal intensive care unit to be available at the time of delivery.

Cons

• Inaccurate results and incorrect diagnoses
• There are risks involved if the tests are not done at the specified time
• Some of the procedures can be expensive
• The parents may experience pressure to abort

How to Decide About Testing

• Decide on what tests would be relevant
• Decide on course of action in case birth defects are detected
• The parents need to be in agreement about what decisions to make prior to undergoing prenatal tests and should not expose the baby to unnecessary risk, unless absolutely necessary.
• Concerns regarding prenatal testing and the related risks and benefits should be discussed with the health care provider to make informed decisions.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 4th, 2010 at 9:38 am and is filed under Pregnancy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.