What is alpha fetoprotein?

alpha fetoprotein is a type of protein that is produced in large quantities by fetal cells. At a time when the child is 1 year, alpha fetoprotein levels have declined significantly. The levels of this protein are unusually high in some types of abnormal pregnancies, so the test for determining protein levels is a useful screening or diagnostic tool, especially when combined with other diagnostic blood tests. This blood test is performed along with tests for certain hormones between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. The results of blood tests together with details such as the age of a pregnant woman and the presence or absence of risk factors of pregnancy provide information that is used to determine how likely the fetus could be born with one or more congenital defects.

This test can be used to estimate the risk of several conditions of avoided defects. For example, in combination with blood tests for estrogen hormones, human chorionic gonadotropin and inhibin, and may detect a fetoprotein blood testSyndrome approximately 80 percent of time. This test can also be used to detect the nerve tube defects, the type of unusual brain or spine development.

Alfetoprotein levels begin to rise approximately at about the 14th week of pregnancy and continue to rise to the third trimester. One to two months before birth, the protein levels narrow and then begin to decrease. In pregnant women, normal protein levels can be up to 2.5 times greater than what is considered normal for a woman who is not pregnant.

abnormally high or low protein levels have several consequences. One of them is that the estimated gestational age of the child was incorrectly calculated, maybe which means that the doctor must revise his estimated deliivery date. High protein levels can also mean that a pregnant woman carry twins or triplets. Abnormally high protein level may indicate that the fetus has a nerve tube defect or defectabdominal walls called omfalocele, in which some abdominal organs are placed outside the body. It may also mean that the fetus has died. Abnormally low protein levels may indicate that the fetus has Down syndrome.

Alfa fetoprotein level measurement is not a test that is accurate all the time. It is possible that protein levels are unusually high or low during normal pregnancy. For this reason, the test is considered to be the starting point for diagnosis rather than the end point.