Medical expert of the article

Obstetrician-gynecologist, fertility specialist

New publications

Analysis for alpha fetoprotein in pregnancy

Alexey Portnov, medical expert
Last reviewed: 19.10.2021

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Analysis for alfa-pheteroprotein in pregnancy or AFP is carried out in order to identify the future child's developmental defects.

The AFP is produced by the embryo's yolk sac, starting from the 5th week, and the maximum percentage is determined in the maternal blood at 32-33 weeks, normal concentration is from 25 to 55 IU / ml. In the body of a future child, this protein takes on the following functions:

Maintenance of oncotic blood pressure.
Blocking and neutralizing the mother's estrogens.
Intrauterine protection from maternal immunity.
Transport of substances into the body of a child.

The analysis is carried out in parallel with the study of the level of hCG and estriol, in order to obtain the most accurate results. The most suitable time for analysis is 16-18 weeks. Indications for the conduct of the following:

Pregnant is over 35 years old.
A pregnant woman is married to a blood relative.
In the genus, there are cases of chromosomal anomalies that are inherited.
The family already has a child with chromosomal abnormalities.
Previous pregnancies resulted in stillbirth, miscarriages, fetal fading.
In the early stages of pregnancy, a woman was exposed to radiation, toxins.
In the early stages of taking drugs that have toxic effects on the embryo.
In the early stages of pregnancy, radiography was performed.

trusted-source [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13]

Translation Disclaimer: The original language of this article is Russian. For the convenience of users of the iLive portal who do not speak Russian, this article has been translated into the current language, but has not yet been verified by a native speaker who has the necessary qualifications for this. In this regard, we warn you that the translation of this article may be incorrect, may contain lexical, syntactic and grammatical errors.