Prenatal Risk Profile (triple screen)
Genetic Screenings (AFP, Prenatal Risk Profile/Triple Screen, and Ultrasounds) seek to discern which pregnancies carry an increased risk of fetal abnormalities; it does NOT tell you which babies have abnormalities. Because of this, there can be false positives in the screening process which can be quite emotionally alarming to the parents if they don't understand this; the final word on whether your baby possesses the abnormality he/she is at risk for, often won't come until his/her birthday--which leaves many parents on edge for much of the nine months. Most women who do receive a "positive" in one of these tests (indicating increased risk of a fetal abnormality), however, go on to deliver a perfectly healthy baby. If you decide to participate in the genetic screening for whatever reason, and the results come back "abnormal", your provider will more than likely recommend further testing.
Diagnostic Tests (Chorionic Villus Sampling and Amniocentesis) can give you more accurate results, though the risks for the baby are much higher with these invasive tests.
Genetic screening, as with any test/procedure done during pregnancy, is entirely optional. You may choose to decline for any reason. In deciding whether or not a particular genetic screening is right for you and your baby, you will want to consider:
the benefits of the test--detection of abnormalities such as Downs Syndrome, spina bifida, etc.
the risks of the test--ranging from stress--sometimes undue--on the parents to loss of the baby (miscarriages can and do happen with many of these tests because of the test invasiveness--even to those babies who were otherwise perfectly healthy and thriving before the test)
acceptable courses of action for your family--it is often said that if an abortion is not an option for you, than genetic screening will not make any difference--other than possible limited preparation for the handicapped child
family history of genetic disorders
The Prenatal Risk Profile was developed to be used in place of the Alphafetoprotein screen in detection of pregnancies that possessed a higher risk for neural tube defects and Down Syndrome. This test combines the AFP screen with other blood tests (HCG and estriol levels). It is much more accurate than the AFP screen alone, with some studies showing a detection of 65 % of Down Syndrome and 80-85% of neural tube defects. It has a false positive rate of only 5% versus the 20-35% of the AFP. One must remember that this test does NOT, however, tell you if your baby has these chromosomal abnormalities--only if your baby has an increased chance in having them.
As with the AFP, most of the risk associated with the Prenatal Risk Profile comes, not from the test itself, but from what occurs as a result of the test--especially if the results yield a positive. Aside from the emotional stress that the parents will likely endure, worrying about whether their baby is "ok" or not, many of the follow up tests (usually ultrasounds and/or amniocentesis) which could be suggested are more invasive. These tests are usually more accurate in their findings, but also pose more of a risk to the baby-- many of the times, unnecessarily.