Pregnancy: Quad Marker Screen

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Introduction

The quad marker screen, similar to the triple marker screen, is a blood test that provides a woman and her health care provider with useful information about her pregnancy. The test predicts the likelihood of a certain problem occurring. It does not diagnose the problem. For example, cholesterol screening determines a person's risk for heart disease based on the amount of cholesterol in the blood, but it does not necessarily mean that the person has heart disease. The quad marker screen determines if a woman is at higher or lower risk of carrying a baby with a birth defect. This means that some women with healthy babies will have screening results indicating a possible problem (and will be offered appropriate follow-up testing) while some women whose babies have birth defects will go undetected.

Because of the uncertainties surrounding the test result, you may opt to not have it. Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of taking this test before you make a final decision.

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