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Results
By Mayo Clinic staffYour health care provider will use your age and the results of the quad screen to gauge your risk of carrying a baby who has certain developmental or chromosomal conditions. Other factors, such as your personal or family health history, also may affect your risk. Your health care provider or a genetic counselor will help you understand this risk and what it means for your pregnancy.
Quad screen results are given as a probability, such as a 1 in 5,000 risk of carrying a baby who has Down syndrome. Generally, the test is considered positive if the risk is 1 in 250 to 1 in 300.
Keep in mind that a positive quad screen simply means that levels of some or all of the substances measured in your blood were outside the normal range. This can happen for various reasons, including:
- A miscalculation of how long you've been pregnant
- A multiple pregnancy
- In vitro fertilization
- The presence of other medical conditions, such as diabetes
- Maternal smoking
If your test results are positive, your health care provider may recommend an ultrasound to verify the baby's gestational age and confirm the number of babies. During the ultrasound, your health care provider will also evaluate your baby's growth, study the placenta and identify possible abnormalities.
The quad screen correctly identifies about 80 percent of women who are carrying a baby who has Down syndrome. About 5 percent of women have a false-positive result, meaning that the test result is positive but the baby doesn't actually have Down syndrome.
When you consider your test results, remember that the quad screen only indicates your overall risk of carrying a baby who has certain developmental or chromosomal conditions. A low-risk result doesn't guarantee that your baby won't have one of these conditions. Likewise, a high-risk result doesn't necessarily mean that your baby will be born with one of these conditions.
Often, abnormal test results are an invitation to consider further diagnostic testing, such as amniocentesis. This test is more invasive than is the quad screen and carries a slight risk of miscarriage, but it gives more specific information about your baby's health. Although ultrasound can often be used to detect spina bifida and anencephaly, an invasive test is the only way to diagnose chromosomal disorders.
The bottom line: Discuss the test results with your health care provider. A genetic counselor also can help you understand your options.
- Canick JA, et al. Second trimester maternal serum screening for Down syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 8, 2010.
- Canick JA, et al. Laboratory issues related to maternal serum screening for Down syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 8, 2010.
- Routine tests in pregnancy. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp133.cfm. Accessed March 8, 2010.
- NINDS anencephaly information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/anencephaly/anencephaly.htm. Accessed March 8, 2010.
- NINDS spina bifida information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/spina_bifida/spina_bifida.htm. Accessed March 8, 2010.
- Lao MR, et al. The ability of the quadruple test to predict adverse perinatal outcomes in a high-risk obstetric population. Journal of Medical Screening. 2009;16:55.
- Murry MM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 24, 2010.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 30, 2010.
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