If the woman decides to have serum AFP testing, a special test request form will be filled out with information about the woman and her pregnancy. This information must be accurate to help avoid false abnormal results. All pregnant women should be informed of the availability of this prenatal screening test for certain birth defects. Most providers suggest and explain AFP testing, but it is not a mandatory test. Serum AFP testing is recommended for all pregnant women up to the age of 35.
Some women are at increased risk for having a fetus with a neural tube defect.
They are those who have already had a child so afflicted, those with a family history of neural tube defects and women with insulin-dependent diabetes. Women who are at increased risk for having a baby with Down Syndrome are those with a child who has Down Syndrome or who has a family history of Down Syndrome and those who are age 35 years or older. Most women want to obtain as much information about their unborn baby as they can. Neural tube defects and Down Syndrome are major birth defects. Serum AFP testing can help identify those women who are at risk for having a baby with those problems.