Prenatal tests are carried out in the best interest of the child and his parents. Some of the defects can be treated before the baby is born. In addition, doctors, knowing that a sick child will be born, can better prepare for delivery and provide the newborn with professional help quickly. What are the indications for prenatal tests?

Prenatal examinationsare divided into non-invasive and invasive. Their purpose is to detect possible defects of the unborn baby. First, non-invasive tests are performed, and only when something worries the doctor - invasive. Fortunately, only three of the 100 women examined are diagnosed with serious fetal anomalies and diseases. It is estimated that then approx. 3 percent. couples decide to have an abortion. What are the indications for prenatal tests?

Indications for prenatal examinations

  • The woman is over 35 years old.
  • The family of the pregnant woman or her husband had a history of genetic diseases.
  • The expectant mother had previously given birth to a child with a genetic defect (e.g. Down syndrome) or with a defect of the central nervous system (e.g. hydrocephalus, cerebrospinal hernia) or with a specific group of metabolic diseases (e.g. cystic fibrosis).
  • The triple test has detected high levels of alpha-fetoprotein (a protein produced in the fetal liver and intestine) in the serum of a pregnant woman. Increased values ​​may suggest, inter alia, baby spina bifida.

Prenatal tests: NHF reimbursement

Prenatal tests are on the list of tests reimbursed by the He alth Fund. A referral for them is issued by a gynecologist. If a woman has no indications for the examination, but wants to perform it (e.g. because she is 34 and is terrified of having a child with a defect), she has to pay for it herself. If the woman belongs to the group with an indication - it is the doctor's duty to inform her about the possibility of performing analyzes and provide the address of the center where she can perform prenatal tests.

Prenatal testing: benefits for children and parents

Prenatal tests are carried out in the best interest of the child and his parents. Some of the defects can be treated even before the baby is born (this is the case, for example, in the case of urinary tract obstruction, thrombocytopenia). Besides, doctors, knowing that a sick child will be born, can better prepare forchildbirth and promptly provide the newborn with professional assistance. This is especially true of heart defects. Then there are two teams of specialists in the delivery room: one is delivering the baby, and the other - consisting of neonatologists and cardiologists - takes the baby over immediately to save his life. If the prenatal tests show that a terminally ill child will be born - parents will have time to get used to this information. If they decide to give birth to a sick child, they will be able to organize their lives so that they can devote more time to the disabled baby - its treatment and care. Of course, they will also have some time to eventually make the difficult decision to abort. According to our regulations, the basis for termination of pregnancy is a high probability of severe and irreversible impairment of the fetus and an incurable disease that threatens the life of the child or mother.

Important

Where do genetic defects come from?

Each human cell contains as many as 46 chromosomes occurring in 23 pairs. One of the pair comes from the father, the other from the mother. The chromosomes contain spiral-wound DNA strands that carry the genetic code for the structure of the entire organism. Errors in the number of chromosomes or their structure are the cause of many genetic diseases. For example, Down's syndrome is the result of an extra chromosome in the 21st pair (called trisomy), while Edwards' syndrome is a consequence of a chromosomal trisomy in the 18th pair. These chromosomal errors can appear already during the fertilization of the egg by sperm, for example in the sperm there will be abnormal chromosomes. Also, a mother who carries the abnormal genes, although she is he althy herself, can pass on the hereditary disease to her offspring (this is the case, for example, in the case of hemophilia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy). Genetic diseases are passed down from generation to generation. But it always has to be "the first time". In a fetus, the disease may arise suddenly as a result of disturbances in the mechanisms of transmission of hereditary features. The aim of prenatal tests is to determine the number and structure of chromosomes in the cells of the fetus (the so-called fetal karyotype) in order to detect inherited and newly developed defects and diseases. The chromosomes of the cells of the amniotic fluid, trophoblast or umbilical cord blood are then examined.

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Pregnant examinations