AFP & hCG Maternal Screening: Common Questions

Maternal Screening

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Common Questions

1. What is Down's Syndrome?
2. What is a neural tube defect?
3. What can I do during pregnancy to prevent formation of a neural tube defect?

1. What is Down's Syndrome? Down's Syndrome is produced by having an abnormal number of chromosomes and is sometimes called Trisomy 21. Affected people usually have an extra copy of some or all of chromosome 21. Most affected children have some retardation of growth and development. The risk of Down's syndrome increases with the mother's age, especially in women over 40 years old. For more information, visit the Down's Syndrome Association UK.

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2. What is a neural tube defect? Neural tube defects are serious birth defects: the brain, spinal cord, or their coverings do not develop completely. There are 3 kinds of neural tube defects:

Anencephaly : incomplete development of the brain and the skull.
Encephalocoele: a hole in the skull through which brain tissue protrudes.
Spina bifida: the most common neural tube defect, in which the spine does not close properly during early pregnancy. (For more information on spina bifida, visit the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus or the Scottish Spina Bifida Association.)

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3. What can I do during pregnancy to prevent formation of a neural tube defect? There is strong evidence to show that taking 0.4 mg of folic acid a day before pregnancy and in the early stages of pregnancy can significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects.

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This page was last modified on August 03, 2006.

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