Double Marker Test

First of all
congratulations. You are pregnant and soon a new life will accompany you. But
the 9 months of pregnancy journey is not easy. Expecting mother is showered
with well being and dietary advice. Of course you need to shift to a healthy
diet and lifestyle and routine checkup is must for pregnant females. To ensure
the health of your growing baby and avoid problems in future certain tests are
recommended by the doctor. One such test is the double marker test.

What Is A double Marker Test?

A double
market test is a blood test done to rule out anomalies in the chromosomal
development of the baby growing in the mother’s womb. The chromosomal
abnormality. Also, this test plays important rolein detecting neurological issues
in foetus such as Edward syndrome or Down syndrome that affects the growth of
the baby in the womb or later in life.

Mostly
pregnant females above 35 years of age, history of insulin dependant type 1 diabetes
or with family history of birth abnormalities are given the double marker test.

What Is The Need Of Double Marker Test?

The double
marker test detects accurately any abnormalities present in the growing baby. The
test assesses if the developing baby is at risk of any mental disorder.
Primarily the test is done to detect Down syndrome and also helps to detect Trisomy
18 that causes severe birth defects and mental retardation and Trisomy 21.T
that causes heart disorders, mental disorders and other health conditions that
affects vital organs of the body.  

If the test
gives a positive result, further diagnosis is done to pinpoint the problem.
Advance tests are done to rule out Down’s syndrome. If the positive test
detects a neurological disorder in unborn babies, parents can choose to
terminate the pregnancy at an early stage.

How IS Double Marker Test
Done?

Double
market test is a blood test combined with an ultrasound. A blood sample is taken
to check two major elements a protein and a hormone. The glycoprotein hormone
is Free Beta Human Chorionic gonadotrophin developed by the placenta during pregnancy.
The protein is Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A that is also an essential
protein for pregnant women.

If Free Beta
hCG is high  in pregnant women it
indicates high risk of Down’s syndrome and Trisomy 18. On the other hand a low
level of ‘Pregnancy associated plasma protein A’ indicates high risk  of Down’s syndrome.

What Is The Normal Value Of
Double Marker Test?

The normal value
of Double Marker test for hCG in pregnant women of all age groups is
25700-288000 mIU/ml. The normal value of Double marker test for PAPP-A is 1 MoM
for females of all age groups.

Interpretation Of The Test
Result

Along with
the blood test result, the age of the fetus observed during ultrasound and
mother’s age is also taken into account for result interpretation as all these
factors affect the development. The result may be screen positive or screen
negative. The result is presented as a ratio. The ratio of 1:1000  and above is termed screen negative and the
ratio between 1:10 to 1:250 is termed as screen positive. Mothers above 35
years of age is at high risk that their baby will develop the neurological
disorder.

The ratio
helps to understand the possibility of a child suffering from any congenital
disorder. The ratio depicts the chances of the child to have disorder over a
number of pregnancies. So if the ratio is 1:1000;  means only 1 child out of 1000 pregnancies may
suffer from congenital disorder and this ratio is almost negligible.

How To Prepare Yourself For
The Double Marker Test

No
preparation is needed for the double marker test. However, if you are on
certain medications during your pregnancy, your doctor will let you know if you
need to stop the medications until the test is performed.

Any disadvantage Of Double
Marker Test

The accuracy
of the result of double marker test depends on the equipment used and the doctor’s
skill. Because of this the test is little costly and may not be feasible for
all. The test may not available in every city due to the high cost and types of
equipment required.

Cost Of Double Marker Test

The cost of
double marker test may vary across hospitals, across cities and across
countries depending on availability of the test, experience of doctors and
quality.

Every
expecting parent wants to ensure that their baby develops healthy and is capable
of leading a healthy life. The decision of terminating a pregnancy if the double
marker test is positive is a parent’s choice. The focus is to ensure the best
outcome.