Without screening, one baby out of every 700 would be born with Down syndrome. With the 2nd trimester quadruple test, 78% of the cases of Down syndrome will be detected. With the first trimester combined, 85% of cases of Down syndrome will be detected.
What is Down syndrome?
Down syndrome is the most common cause of severe mental handicaps. While it is not possible to assess how severely each Down syndrome baby will be, it is known that nine out of ten babies will survive their first year and nearly half will grow to maturity and reach 60 years of age. Because Down syndrome is usually not inherited, a family with no previous history can have a Down syndrome baby.
By utilizing information from an ultrasound of the baby and maternal drum analysis, the Combined Test is performed between 11 weeks and 0 days and 13 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy. It is suitable
for women of all ages. It cannot determine definitely whether or not the baby has it. Women with a greater risk can be offered diagnostic tests such as chorionic villus sampling or an amniocentesis. These tests will actually identify which fetuses are affected.