How long does it take to check pregnancy

There are actually not many necessary examinations for pregnant women during pregnancy, mainly B-ultrasound and Down syndrome screening. The NT mainly checks whether the fetus has Down syndrome. Generally, it is necessary to wait until the fetus develops to a certain extent. If the fetus is too small, it cannot be detected. Not every hospital can perform the NT examination. It is also a step to be done before the fetal abnormality examination. It is a manifestation of responsibility to the fetus, the pregnant woman and even the society.

How long is the best time to do NT during pregnancy?

A nuchal translucency scan is usually done between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy. It is technically difficult to perform an NT scan before 11 weeks because the fetus is still too small. After 14 weeks, the water accumulated under the fetus's skin may be absorbed by the developing lymphatic system, making it impossible to obtain accurate test data. Therefore, pregnant women need to go to the hospital for NT examination within 11-14 weeks of pregnancy. Generally, nuchal translucency scan can be performed in tertiary hospitals or large specialized obstetrics and gynecology hospitals.

What does NT check?

Babies with Down syndrome will have subcutaneous fluid accumulation, so the skin on the back of the neck will be thicker. If NT detects that the thickness of the fetal neck skin exceeds the standard value, it may be related to fetal chromosomal karyotype abnormalities and other structural malformations. The thicker the NT, the greater the probability of fetal structural abnormalities and chromosomal abnormalities. In addition to detecting the risk of chromosomal abnormalities, thickening of the fetal nuchal translucency is also related to congenital heart disease.

If the NT test result exceeds the standard value range, pregnant women are advised to undergo follow-up fetal abnormality screening to further confirm the risk of fetal abnormalities so that timely countermeasures can be taken.

It turns out that this mysterious NT test is a screening for Down syndrome, which is very important for pregnant women themselves and the entire society. Currently, only some qualified hospitals can perform this examination. It is precisely because of modern advanced medical technology that the incidence of many congenital diseases has been greatly reduced, which is of great significance for improving the quality of the population.