First screening for pregnancy

The first screening for pregnancy is a painless procedure that absolutely all women undergo in the first trimester of pregnancy. Let's consider the features of the first screening, timing, possible outcomes and cost.

The first screening during pregnancy allows you to find out how the future child is developing. The purpose of the procedure is to identify pathologies and abnormalities in fetal development. Screening is ultrasound and blood tests. During the diagnosis, the age of the woman, her weight, the presence of bad habits and chronic diseases are taken into account. During the first procedure, a woman is taken blood from the vein for analysis and ultrasound is performed. Typically, the procedure is carried out at 10-13 weeks of pregnancy.

With the help of ultrasound, you can determine the correctness of the development of the physique of the future baby. During ultrasound, the doctor makes measurements that help in diagnosing the condition of the fetus. If any deviations or pathologies are detected, the pregnant woman is referred for more detailed diagnosis and further treatment.

Terms of the first screening for pregnancy

The timing of the first screening for pregnancy is prescribed by a gynecologist, but, as a rule, this is the period from 10 to 13 weeks of gestation. The main task of screening is the determination of pathologies in the development of the child. During screening, ultrasound and blood tests are performed. Despite such a short period of pregnancy, tests and studies will help determine the genetic and chromosomal abnormalities in a child.

Screening is called a complex analysis, since all conclusions about the development of the child are made based on the results of a set of analyzes and studies. If during the diagnosis, a high degree of probability of pathologies in the development of the child was determined, the woman is sent for amniocentesis and a biopsy of the chorion villi.

Pregnant women, who are at risk for genetic and chromosomal abnormalities, must do screening from the first to the third trimester. This category includes:

• Women over 35 years.
• Women in families whose children were born with Down's syndrome or with any other genetic abnormalities.
• Women who had miscarriages and children born with abnormalities.

Screening is mandatory for women who have suffered viral diseases in the first trimester and used contraindicated medications for their treatment.

Preparation for the first screening in pregnancy

Preparation for the first screening during pregnancy is held in a women's consultation headed by a gynecologist. It is the doctor who must morally prepare a woman for the delivery of tests, answering all the questions of interest and dispelling fears. Let's look at the main points that concern the first screening and preparations for its conduct.

1. The blood test and ultrasound are best performed in one day and in one laboratory. Before going to the diagnosis, a woman should know that the procedure is absolutely painless, not counting blood sampling.
2. Many experts strongly recommend pregnant women to take a blood test on an empty stomach. Also, it is worth not to have sex. Since this may distort the results of the study.
3. Before going to the clinic to take tests, you need to weigh yourself. Data are needed to fill out a form that will be maintained by a lab technician engaged in ultrasound and blood tests.
4. Before the procedure, it is not recommended to drink water, but if you really want, then not more than 100 ml.
5. Do not forget that the result of screening is affected by diseases for which hormonal therapy was used.
6. Decipher the results of screening should be a qualified doctor, since only he can tell about possible violations and complications.

The first biochemical screening for pregnancy

The first biochemical screening for pregnancy is a blood test procedure that allows you to diagnose the presence of abnormalities and pathologies. The whole process is very important, as its task is to determine the presence of such deviations as Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome and the developmental defects of the spinal cord and brain in the fetus. At its core, biochemical screening is a blood test for HCG, as well as for RAPP-A.

Please note that during the analysis of the analyzes, not only absolute indicators are used, but also deviations that correspond to the time of the analysis. The results of biochemical screening do not provide complete data for establishing a diagnosis. The results of this study are an excuse for further research.

Screening of ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy

The first trimester ultrasound is screened for the development of the child's internal organs and the location of the limbs. In the process of research make measurements of the body of the baby and compare it with the norms corresponding to the term of pregnancy. Screening ultrasound allows you to explore the location and structure of the placenta. The baby's nasal bone is also being examined. If the child develops normally, then at 10-12 weeks of pregnancy, bone is seen in 98% of children. If a child is diagnosed with Down's syndrome, then bone is visible only in 70% of babies.

Screening ultrasound of the first trimester of pregnancy allows you to determine a multiple pregnancy, since all indicators are higher than normal. The results of screening are influenced by the presence of chronic diseases in the pregnant woman, the intake of her medicines. All these factors must be taken into account when deciphering the results of screening. If the results of studies have deviations, the woman is scheduled to screen the second trimester of pregnancy, as well as a set of additional tests.

Results of the first screening for pregnancy

The results of the first screening during pregnancy allows you to learn about how the baby develops if there are any abnormalities and pathologies. If the baby has a predisposition to Down's syndrome, then this can be determined using the thickness of the collar space, which is examined by ultrasound. The presence of a risk for this disease is shown by the results of hCG and free β. 

• If the results are higher than the established rate, the fetus has a high risk of developing such a pathology as Down syndrome. If the results are below normal, then this is the risk of Edwards syndrome.
• Another indicator of the first screening during pregnancy is the RARP-A standard. This indicator is called plasma protein A, which is associated with pregnancy. His level increases throughout pregnancy, and abnormalities can be evidence that the baby has a predisposition to disease. 
• If RAPP-A is below normal, then the baby has a high risk for developing pathologies and abnormalities. If the analysis of RAPP-A is higher than normal, but the rest of the test results are normal, then do not worry.

If you do not trust the results of the screening, then the study can be repeated in another laboratory, but only for this purpose the entire procedure for taking blood tests and ultrasound should be retried. Repeat the first screening for pregnancy can be up to 13 weeks.

The norm during the first screening for pregnancy

The norm at the first screening during pregnancy allows you to decipher the results of the analyzes yourself. Knowing the norms of research results, the future mother can determine the presence of risks for the development of diseases and pathologies in the baby. Let's look at the basic standards of analysis for the first screening during pregnancy.

Norms of hCG, mU / ml:

Term of pregnancy (weeks)	Value
2	25-300
3	1500 5000
4	10000- 30000
5	20000- 100000
6th	50000- 200000
7th	50000- 200000
8	20000-200000
9	20000- 100000
10	20000-95000
12	20000- 90000
13-14	15000- 60000
15-25	10000- 35000

Norms RAPP-A MED / ml (protein that responds to the normal operation of the placenta):

Term of pregnancy (weeks)	Value
8-9	0.17-1.54
9-10	0.32-2.42
10-11	0.46-3.73
11-12	0.7-7.76
12-13	1.03-6.01
13-14	1.47-8.54

To calculate the indicators, the MoM coefficient is used, which means deviations from the average indicator, which depend on the gestational age. When calculating the corrective values are used, which take into account the characteristics of the female body. So, the MoM norm can be from 0.5 to 3, and in case of multiple pregnancy up to 3.5 MoM. The results help determine whether a pregnant woman is at risk for chromosomal and genetic abnormalities.

Cost of first screening for pregnancy

The cost of the first screening during pregnancy depends on what clinic and laboratory the future mother plans to take tests. The total cost of screening consists of the price of ultrasound, prenatal diagnosis of the fetus and a number of analyzes.

Analysis of free β and hCG, which involves taking blood, costs from 200 hryvnia, if the results are needed urgently, the cost increases to 250-300 hryvnia, RAPP-A from 250 to 350 hryvnia. Quantitative blood tests for chromosome and genetic pathologies cost from 100 hryvnia, and ultrasound from 500 hryvnia. That is, on average, the first screening during pregnancy can cost future parents at 1000-1500 hryvnia.

The first screening for pregnancy is a complex of analyzes and studies, with which you can learn how the future baby develops, identify possible pathologies and developmental abnormalities. Based on the results of the first screening, the gynecologist gives recommendations for abortion or appoints a special treatment to eliminate the risk to the development of chromosomal and genetic pathologies of the unborn child.

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