Screening in the first trimester of the pregnancy – PRISCA
What is the procedure?
- Taking a sample of the mother’s blood – necessary to determine the value of the two hormones present during pregnancy(HCG- human chorionic gonadotropin / PAPPA – pregnancy associated plasma protein A)
- Ultrasound evaluation of the fetus – measuring the nuchal translucency (NT), the liquid under the skin of the fetus in the area of the neck
What is the purpose of this screening method?
Detection of the possible risk of specific chromosomal abnormalities of the fetus – Down’s syndrome (trisomy 21), Edwards’s syndrome (trisomy 18), Patau syndrome (trisomy 13). The method is noninvasive and combined with the results from the mother’s blood test, the ultrasound and the age of the mother will determine the potential risk for chromosomal abnormalities.
When it is performed?
Between the 11-th and 13-th week of pregnancy.
Does the method provide diagnosis for a certain condition of the baby?
This test is not a diagnosis, it is only a signal for a possible need of additional testing. The results can be false positive in 5% of the cases.
The test is positive, what next?
It is important for future parents to know that a positive test does not mean that their baby will have hormonal abnormalities. It is only a signal for the need for genetic counseling and possible need for diagnostic procedures – Amniocentesis (AC) and Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS). These methods need to be thoroughly discussed in order to come up with the best possible decision.
This method should not be equated to a triple testor quadruple test, which are performed in the second trimester of the pregnancy!
What are the risk and side effects of this method?
The method is 100% safe, for both the mother and the baby.