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Published on: August 25, 2019
Medically assisted reproduction and second-trimester maternal serum marker screening for Down syndrome
Françoise Muller1, Sophie Dreux, Alain Lemeur
1Biochimie Hormonale, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris, France. francoise.muller@rdp.ap-hop-paris.fr
Objectives:
To evaluate the effect of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) on total hCG, free ss-hCG, AFP and unconjugated estriol (uE3) used as markers for second-trimester Down syndrome maternal serum screening.
Methods:
Second-trimester maternal sera from 1515 singleton pregnancies (970 by IVF, 545 by ICSI) were compared with control sera (21 014 cases). Free ss-hCG, total hCG, AFP and uE3 were compared between the control group and the medically assisted reproduction groups. The percentages of at-risk patients (>/=1/250) were also compared.
Results:
No differences in values of the maternal serum markers were observed between the medically assisted and control groups. When maternal age was taken into account, the screen-positive rate for Down syndrome screening did not differ between the two groups.
Conclusion:
Patients undergoing assisted reproduction techniques can be counseled for maternal serum Down syndrome screening with the same efficacy as patients with naturally conceived pregnancies.
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