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A New Blood Test for Down’s Syndrome

Diagnosing Down’s syndrome has just gotten easier. Researchers at Stanford University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Lucile Packard Hospital have developed a maternal blood test that offers a non invasive way to detect Down’s syndrome and other chromosome disorders in the fetus. There is currently a blood screening test done during pregnancy to check for Down’s syndrome. This is called the alpha feto protein, triple screen or quad screen and is done in the early second trimester. However, this is merely a screening tool and doesn’t offer a definitive diagnosis. It only shows if a woman is at greater risk … Continue reading →

AFP Tests – What do they mean?

Between the 16th and 18th weeks of pregnancy, you will receive a screening test called an AFP. It’s a blood test and you will need to give your permission before the test is done. There are so many blood tests and urine tests and just tests that we go through when we are pregnant and seeing our obstetricians that it is hard to keep them all straight. The following is some information on the AFP, I am not a physician by any stretch of the imagination so be sure to consult with your physician if you have any questions or … Continue reading →

Should You Limit Folic Acid Supplements in Late Pregnancy?

It really amazes me how much medical advice and knowledge surrounding pregnancy changes from year to year, even month to month. Just when you think you know what you need for a healthy pregnancy, someone throws a curve call. This time, that ball is coming from experts at the University of Adelaide in Australia who conducted a study on Folic acid supplements and their effects on children born to mothers who take the supplements late in pregnancy. They studied 557 expectant mothers and how many of their children had asthma three and a half and five and a half years … Continue reading →

National Children’s Study Recruiting Now

Researchers are planning the largest study of children in the United States ever — hoping to track one hundred thousand children around the country from conception to adulthood. For health nerds like me, this study is both interesting and ambitious, and I can’t wait to see how it goes. Right now, researchers are looking for mothers-to-be around the country. The first wave of recruitment focused on North Carolina and New York; in a few months, recruitment will be under way in California, Utah, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Minnesota. These initial locations will help weed out problems in the recruitment process. … Continue reading →