The Triple Screen

A new test, called the "triple screen" (also known as the "prenatal risk profile" or "expanded AFP"), is used to screen for birth defects. The triple screen measures the following:Maternal levels of AFPHCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, which is elevated if mother is carrying a baby with some chromosomal abnormalitiesStroll, a byproduct of the hormone estrogen, which is lower if mother is carrying a baby with some chromosomal abnormalities

The triple screen raises the accuracy from twenty-five percent with the AFP alone to 60 percent. The triple screen may detect 70 percent of Down syndrome babies in women over age thirty-five, and sixty percent in women under age Thirty-five.