Prenatal Diagnosis
Prenatal diagnosis refers to a diagnosis made before the baby is born. It allows your doctor to determine whether or not your developing baby has a problem. Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling are the two main methods (CVS). These tests aid in the detection of genetic disorders prior to birth.
Some parents are at a higher risk of having a child with a genetic disorder or another issue. They might want to think about one of these tests. Knowing about potential issues before the baby is born may be beneficial to parents. They may be able to make better decisions about their infant's health care. Certain issues can be addressed prior to the baby's birth. Other issues may necessitate immediate medical attention. In some cases, parents may decide to terminate the pregnancy.
A variety of techniques are used in prenatal diagnosis to determine the health and condition of an unborn fetus. Without a prenatal diagnosis, there could be an unfavorable outcome for the fetus, the mother, or both. Congenital anomalies cause 20 to 25% of perinatal deaths. Prenatal diagnosis is especially useful for:
- Managing the last few weeks of pregnancy
- determining the pregnancy's outcome
- Making preparations for potential birth complications
- Preparing for potential problems with the newborn infant
- Choosing whether or not to continue the pregnancy
- Identifying conditions that may have an impact on future pregnancies
For prenatal diagnosis, a variety of non-invasive and invasive techniques are available. To be most effective, each of them should be used only during specific times during the pregnancy. The following methods are used for prenatal diagnosis:
- Ultrasonography
- Amniocentesis
- A sampling of chorionic villus
- Maternal blood contains fetal blood cells.
- Alpha-fetoprotein in maternal serum
- Beta-HCG levels in maternal serum
- Unconjugated estriol in maternal serum
- A plasma protein associated with pregnancy
- Agonist A