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Perinatal Care
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Maternal Serum Screen

Maternal serum screen -- also called the AFP screen, triple screen, or quad screen -- measures several proteins in a pregnant woman’s blood to assess the pregnancy’s risk for three conditions. Two of these are chromosome abnormalities, Down syndrome and a more rare and severe condition called Trisomy 18.

It is generally performed at 15 to 20 weeks gestation.

This test also determines the pregnancy’s risk for open spina bifida. If this test happens to show an increased risk for a problem (called a “positive” screen), further testing (amniocentesis and ultrasound) is offered.

Most women will have normal results on these follow up tests.

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About This Page

Published: May 4, 2006
Updated: May 4, 2006
URL: http://www.dukehealth.org/Services/Perinatal/DiagnosticTests/MaternalSerumScreening