Double Marker - First Trimester Test

Double marker test is screening blood test in pregnancy. It is usually done between 9 and 13 weeks. This test is done for those who suffer from down’s syndrome. It is detection of pre-birth conditions of the fetus. This test detects any kind of chromosomal abnormalities that might occur after the conception occurs. This is not completely unusual as it occurs in every 700 births. This test is important for women who gets pregnant after 35 as probability of abnormality in unborn is usually for elderly pregnant women. It is advisable that all pregnant women should go through this test so that she is sure that the baby is completely normal.

Pregnant women didn’t have to do any preparations for the Double Marker Test. Inform your obstetrician if you are on any medications or have any underlying medical conditions or allergies before undergoing Double Marker. Your doctor depending on your condition will give specific instructions. These tests are either separate or combination of an ultrasound and blood test. However, these are simply screening test and will tell you how high your risk is and nothing else. You will come to know whether the baby you are carrying in your womb will have Down’s syndrome or not.

When a double marker test or combined with an NT scan, it gives a result which use a high risk or a low risk for chromosomal abnormalities for chromosomal abnormalities especially for down’s syndrome or trisomies, trisomies 13, 18, 21, whereas Down’s syndrome is trisomy 21. This is a very important screening test that is done in pregnancy by almost all the obstetricians combined with NT scan.

It is combined with NT Scan through which you measure the amount of fluid at the back of the neck of the fetus and with the results, this double marker blood test is done and both the combined, and given a combined result as screen positive or negative. If it is high risk, screen positive then the woman is asked to do a diagnostic test, which could be amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. This involves the measurement of free beta Hcg and Papp A, that is pregnancy associated plasma protein, that is if a high levels of beta Hcg or a low levels of Papp A are there, then according to the measurement of the hormones, they are given As screen positive or negative.