What does the Alpha Fetoprotein Test indicate?
Alpha Fetoprotein is virtually undetectable in men and non-pregnant women. However, during pregnancy the protein crosses the placenta and is detectable in the mother’s blood. The maternal blood levels of Alpha Fetoprotein are used as indicators for developmental abnormalities such as Down’s Syndrome and trisomy 18, or Open Neural Tube Defects such as Spina Bifida (holes along the spinal column) and anencephalogy (the absence of a large part of the brain and skull).
