AFP test is referred to as the Alpha-Fetoprotein test which is usually performed during pregnancy to diagnose fetal distress or abnormalities in the upcoming baby.
In general, male or non-pregnant females usually have Alpha-fetoprotein levels of 0 to 40 ng/mL in their body but if the level exceeds 200 ng/mL, it might indicate a liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular tumor.
During pregnancy, AFP test levels increase naturally because the baby’s liver in the mother’s womb produces alpha-fetoprotein. Don’t get stressed if any abnormal AFP result comes into a would-be-mom’s blood test. The normal range of AFP during 15-20 weeks of gestation is 10-150 nanograms/milliliter. Due to several reasons, AFP levels might fluctuate from low to high during pregnancy which can indicate the risks of pregnancy, or sometimes even with an abnormal AFP test value, a normal baby is born.
Why AFP level fall during pregnancy?
AFP value <10 ng/mL might indicate the following defects:
- Assuming the incorrect gestational age of the baby.
- The baby may have “Down syndrome”: Down syndrome is defined as a genetic disorder caused by an error in cell division, which is medically termed as “nondisjunction”. Babies with Down syndrome might have some features like:
| Physical syndromes | Intellectual and development syndrome |
| Poor muscle tone | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder |
| Short neck but excess skin loosely attached at the back of the neck | Inability to make proper judgments |
| Compressed facial profile and nose | Impulsive behavior |
| Small-sized head, ears, and mouth | Slow learning |
| Brushfield spots in the eye | Delayed language and speech development |
| Wide or short hands with short fingers | Poor communication skill |
Why AFP level rise to normal level in pregnancy?
AFP range can increase during pregnancy for several causes as the fetus’s liver assembles AFP, so, soon after birth, the AFP level can be decreased in the case of a normal baby. Some of the reasons are discussed below:
- The age (gestational age) of the baby might be wrong
- In the case of twin babies or triplets, AFP levels can be increased
- The upcoming baby might have a neural tube defect
- Baby with abdominal wall defect or omphalocele; surgery of the baby might have been required after delivery
- “Spina bifida”: a medical condition where the bones of the spine don’t close around part of the spinal cord
- “Anencephaly”: a medical condition in which the brain does not develop properly
- Stillbirth or the baby might not be alive
Final thoughts
First of all, during pregnancy, a woman needs to be stress-free. If any mother tested abnormal AFP test values, before thinking of anything worse, discuss it with your healthcare provider. Not only can Down syndrome in the baby but also race, weight, and gestational diabetes in the mother cause a lowering of AFP test value. Any liver abnormality can also cause abnormal AFP values. Up to the gynecologist’s clinical judgment, they might advise screening Parental Cell-Free DNA (cFDNA). This test can give a piece of proper knowledge about a baby having Down syndrome or other genetic disorders.