Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 May;115(5):1052-1061.
doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181da93da.

First- and second-trimester maternal serum markers for aneuploidy and adverse obstetric outcomes

Lorraine Dugoff; Society for Maternal–Fetal Medicine

First- and second-trimester maternal serum markers for aneuploidy and adverse obstetric outcomes

Lorraine Dugoff et al. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 May.

Abstract

Maternal serum levels of the first- and second-trimester markers for aneuploidy have been shown to be associated with adverse obstetric outcomes in the absence of aneuploidy or neural-tube defects. The likelihood of an adverse obstetric outcome increases as the values of the marker become more extreme, and as the number of abnormal markers increases. Although many of the associations between maternal serum markers for aneuploidy and adverse obstetric outcomes are statistically significant, the sensitivity and positive predictive values for the individual outcomes are too low for them to be clinically useful as screening tests. Currently in the United States there is not a uniformly accepted practice for the care of women with abnormal maternal serum markers regarding risk of future obstetric complications. There are no randomized trials assessing any type of intervention or treatment for patients with abnormal serum markers. Various strategies to manage patients with unexplained abnormal serum markers have been proposed. This article reviews the relationships between these markers and adverse obstetric outcomes. In addition, potential management strategies and future areas of research are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Malone FD, Canick JA, Ball RH, Nyberg DA, Comstock CH, Bukowski R, et al. First-trimester or second-trimester screening, or both, for Down's syndrome. N Engl J Med 2005;353:2001–11.
    1. Screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 77. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol 2007;109:217–27.
    1. Lawrence JB, Oxvig C, Overgaard MT, Sottrup-Jensen L, Gleich GJ, Hays LG, et al. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-dependent IGF binding protein-4 protease secreted by human fibroblasts is pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1999;96:3149–53.
    1. Smith GC, Stenhouse EJ, Crossley JA, Aitken DA, Cameron AD, Connor JM. Early pregnancy levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein a and the risk of intrauterine growth restriction, premature birth, preeclampsia, and stillbirth. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002;87:1762–7.
    1. Kniss DA, Shubert PJ, Zimmerman PD, Landon MB, Gabbe SG. Insulinlike growth factors: Their regulation of glucose and amino acid transport in placental trophoblasts isolated from first trimester chorionic villi. J Repro Med 1994;39:249–56.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources