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MSAFP (Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein) : Pregnancy

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) is a test that measures the level of AFP protein produced by the fetus in the mother's bloodstream. High AFP levels can indicate neural tube defects in the fetus, while low levels may signal Down syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities. The MSAFP test provides a screening for several fetal disorders by analyzing how much AFP from the fetus crosses the placenta into the mother's blood during pregnancy.

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81 views

MSAFP (Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein) : Pregnancy

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) is a test that measures the level of AFP protein produced by the fetus in the mother's bloodstream. High AFP levels can indicate neural tube defects in the fetus, while low levels may signal Down syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities. The MSAFP test provides a screening for several fetal disorders by analyzing how much AFP from the fetus crosses the placenta into the mother's blood during pregnancy.

Uploaded by

swethashaki
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© © All Rights Reserved
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MSAFP (maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein)

MSAFP (maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein): The presence of AFP, a plasma

protein normally produced by the fetus, in the mother's blood. The MSAFP serves as the

basis for some valuable tests.

AFP is manufactured principally in the fetus's liver and, also, in the fetal

gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the yolk sac, a structure temporarily present during

embryonic development. The level of AFP is typically high in the fetus's blood, goes

down in the baby's blood after birth, and by a year of age is virtually undetectable.

During pregnancy, AFP crosses the placenta from the fetal circulation and appears in

the mother's blood. The level of AFP in the mother's blood (the maternal serum AFP)

provides a screening test for a number of disorders including:

 Open neural tube defects (anencephaly and spina bifida); and

 Down syndrome (and other chromosome abnormalities).

The maternal serum AFP (MSAFP) tends to be:

 High with open neural tube defects such as anencephaly and spina bifida

(meningomyelocele); and

 Low with Down syndrome (trisomy 21, an extra chromosome number 21).

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