Double Marker Test For Peace of Mind

A planned pregnancy is a time of unexpected turmoil. You’re excited, you’re terrified, you’re happy, you’re suddenly crying because you saw a dead moth on the windowsill. It is also a time when you will become more familiar with your body than you could ever imagine. Part of this is due to noticing the changes that are happening in your body. Not just the way your belly is increasing, but the changes in your ligaments, skin tone, and pelvis. It is also from the number of tests most women undergo as well as physical exams.

One of the tests that is commonly administered, particularly if there is a medical history that warrants it. Of if the pregnant woman is in a certain age bracket, is the PAPP-A and Free Beta HCG testing, more commonly known as the Double Marker test or Dual Marker test.

With an additional test that can not only do the PAPP-A and Free Beta HCG testing, but also test for pre-eclampsia. The double marker test cost can be under UDS$100 if you are not able to get this through your healthcare system or insurance, and the benefits of being able to identify potential concerns for the mental health of the mother is priceless.

What Is The Double Marker Test?

This is a test that is usually offered to women in their first trimester of pregnancy and provides early detection for the likelihood of certain chromosomal abnormalities present.

The test itself is looking for certain biochemical markers and pregnancy associated plasma protein. However, the test alone does not give a clear result and is used in association with the scan to determine the fetal nuchal translucency thickness and looks at the mothers age. This will give the occurrence of trisomies 18, 13 and 21.

1 in 160 births may have chromosomal abnormalities which are often the cause of a range of genetic disorders, although serious abnormalities will usually have caused a miscarriage earlier in the pregnancy.

Early detection allows for future preparation to be made https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aneuploidy
Some of the genetic disorders that can be detected by the double marker test include:

• Williams Syndrome – which causes ‘elfin’ appearance, intellectual disability with the most difficulty being performing visual spatial tasks. People with Williams syndrome generally have a shorter lifespan because of increased rates of heart disease.

• Edwards Syndrome (trisomy 18) – can cause heart defects, severe intellectual disabilities and many physical deformities.

• Trisomy 16 – This is the most common chromosomal cause of miscarriage (along with X-chromosome monosomy). Most pregnancies that have this chromosome abnormality end in miscarriage before 15 weeks.

• Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) – is one of the most common types of genetic disorder and causes physical growth delays and intellectual disabilities of varying degrees (see here). The average IQ of an adult with Down syndrome is around 50. There does not seem to be any generic inheritance that causes this syndrome, but there is an increased risk as mothers age. So a woman who is 20 years old has less than 0.1% chance of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome. Whereas a woman who is over 45 years has a 3% chance. This risk continues to grow with the age of the woman. The testing manages to spot 7 out of 10 cases of Down syndrome in a pregnancy.

Testing For Abnormalities

If the dual testing comes back with a high likelihood of their being chromosomal abnormalities for the foetus, then further testing could be undertaken by the mother in order to get a confirmed result. Usually this is an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).

Although the double marker test has no risk to the pregnant woman or unborn child, other than any other standard blood test. Both amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling can cause complications, damage to the child and possibly miscarriage.

Because of these risks these tests are not normally given without a strong reason and should be weighed up carefully with the full knowledge of the potential condition, the risks and the advantages.

There are, of course, a lot of other disorders besides the ones mentioned here that can be detected by the double marker test. Your maternity healthcare professional will be able to discuss other potential outcomes before testing and explain what the results mean after testing.

Pre-Eclampsia Testing

Although the standard trisomy testing doesn’t look for pre-eclampsia, there is a Double Marker Plus test that also screens for pre-eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia is where the mother’s blood pressure increases and can restrict the blood and oxygen flow to the placenta. https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/preeclampsia/

For the mother developing pre-eclampsia may mean that they develop ongoing heart or blood pressure problems, and also run the risk of liver or kidney failure. If left undiagnosed pre-eclampsia may develop into eclampsia which can also cause seizures.

Although regular check-ups from your prenatal carer can monitor your condition if you develop this, they will have been monitoring your urine and blood pressure throughout your pregnancy looking for pre-eclampsia developing.

The benefit of including the pre-eclampsia testing when you have your standard trisomy test is that it is able to give a quick and clear indication if you are likely to develop symptoms. This gives you a greater opportunity to make the lifestyle adjustments that can help reduce symptoms.

Although there is currently no preventative for pregnant woman developing pre-eclampsia, or a cure if they do develop it, there are treatments that can help relieve the symptoms and help prevent it from worsening.

Remembering that 5-7% of pregnancies can result in the mother developing pre-eclampsia, and that this condition is exclusive to pregnant women.

Reducing Pre-Eclampsia Symptoms

One of the reasons that it is generally recommended that pregnant women cut down or cut out their caffeine intake is to help reduce the risk of developing pre-eclampsia. However, increasing your water intake to at least the recommended 8 glasses a day can also help (do not drink more than 2litres of water in one sitting).

Most women in late pregnancy will discover that lying on their left side is the most comfortable position, particularly if they suffer from indigestion.

If you are able to start earlier resting in this position your baby won’t be putting so much pressure on your major blood vessels.

Reducing the amount of salt and fried food you consume can also help. Dietary changes are often recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding as the nutritional needs of mother and baby are greater than pre-pregnancy.

But, of course, although more calories are generally needed, the ‘eating for two’ idea is very much a myth. More fruit, vegetables and proteins can help increase energy levels as well as decrease the risks for pre-eclampsia.

Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post