3D - 2

why was my afp result norma!l?

My afp results said I am low risk but then they go on and say I have a 1 in 150 chance of a child with down's syndrome, a 1 in 100 chance of a baby with trisomy 18, and even lower a baby with other birth defects! the 4d ultrasound was normal my daughter is devloping and functioning properly with all her vital organs but why am I considered in normal range if my risk is actually kind of high compared to other 24 year-old women? I got the test done at 15 weeks and this is my first pregnancy. I know for some reason they also take your weight into account and at the time I weighed about 106 and 5'3. some1 please answer me why did my doctor and the letter with results say the results were within normal range if my risk seems comparatively high?!

Public Comments

1. hmm..that's a good question...if your afp is in normal range that's good, but maybe there's a third variable in there somewhere that affects the baby's risk...you should go back and ask your doctor
2. There is always the possiblity of an error while calculating the risks. The afp tests are reknownd for having It may have something to do with family - did someone in your family have any form of birth defect? There are wide ranges of the 'normal' range. You may want to ask your DR what the 'normal' ranges are. I wish I could help you more, but i could only find this link here: http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/pregnancy/afp.html#pos If you don't feel happy with your DR's explaination, don't hestitate to get another opinion. Goodluck with your pregnancy :)