Maternal Screen (Triple Test) Second Trimester Test
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Triple marker test is basically a screening blood test that is used to screen pregnant women for potential congenital defects in foetus i.e., neural tube defects, Down syndrome and Trisomy 18 in the unborn child. Primarily three hormones are measured in mother’s blood (thus known as the Triple Marker test). This test can be performed any time between 14 to 22.6 weeks of pregnancy.
This test only determines the possibility that the fetus will have chromosomal abnormalities. This is because it is simply a predictive test. It is not a conclusive test. The triple marker test is named as such because it looks for alpha-fetoprotein, beta-hCG, and unconjugated estriol.
The triple marker test is essentially a blood screening procedure. It is used to check pregnant women for possible congenital problems in the fetus. These could be neural tube defects, Down syndrome, and Trisomy 18. The mother’s blood is mostly tested for three hormones (thus known as the Triple Marker test). The pregnancy can be between 14 and 22.6 weeks at the time of this test.
Price : ₹ 3,070
Triple marker test is done to screen genetic disorders and other abnormalities in the fetus. It is very important to know that this is a SCREENING test and a positive (high risk) result does not confirm a defect. Further confirmatory tests should be done to reach a conclusion. Abnormal Triple Test results, ultrasound may lead to the detection of 85% of open neural tube defects, 60 to 70% of Down syndrome pregnancies and many Trisomy 18 pregnancies. To improve detection rate of congenital anomalies quadruple marker or algorithm based test like Pregascreen dual and Pregascreen quadruple are suggested.
This test measures three markers (AFP, HCG, and estriol) in the maternal blood. This screening test provides statistical examination of patient’s data which includes the biochemical (laboratory) and demographical (statistical study of populations) data. The results are shown in the form of a graph in the test report. The chances of having a baby with Down syndrome or Trisomy 18 depend on multiple factors such as age & body weight of pregnant women, diabetic status & ethnicity etc.
This test requires a blood sample. A tourniquet (elastic) band is placed tightly on the upper arm. The patient is then asked to make a fist. This helps in the build-up of blood filling the veins. The skin is disinfected before needle insertion and the blood sample is collected in vacutainer
Abnormal test (high risk pregnancy) result does not always indicate a birth defect; it might be because of a variation in the estimated gestational age or other factors. A more specific screening test (NIPT)/ confirmatory test like karyotyping/ FISH are highly recommended.
High levels of AFP point to neural tube defects in the fetus or there can be incomplete closure of the fetus abdomen.
Low levels of HCG indicate a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Whereas, if the levels of HCG are high this indicates multiple pregnancies.
Low levels of estriol indicates a high risk with Down syndrome especially when the levels of AFP are low and HCG are high. If the levels of all these three markers are abnormal, there can be a presence of neural tube defects like spina bifida (spinal cord fails to develop correctly), anencephaly (absence of brain, skull and scalp) and multiple pregnancies (twins/triplets/ quadruplets).Consult your gynaecologist for further investigation
