Are there any good websites that explain screening for chromosomal abnormalities in early pregnancy?
There often seems to be a delay before women are seen in clinics. This means the GP ends up having to do the explaining and it is useful to look at the written data on the integrated tests and other invasive tests such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis. Again in the NICE guidelines on antenatal care, key recommendation four indicates that pregnant women should be offered screening for Down’s syndrome with a test that provides the current standard of detection rate above 60% and a false positive rate of less than 5%. This includes a test performed between 11 and 14 weeks such as the nuchal translucency test as part of a combined serum screening test with free HCG and PAPP-A. It also discusses the integrated test, which is a nuchal translucency scan, PAPP-A and HCG at 11 to 14 weeks and then a repeat serum screening test between 14 and 20 weeks, including a measurement of alphafetoprotein, unconjugated oestriol and inhibin A. Obviously there are many websites but most
