Screening for Down syndrome in dichorionic twin pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF): A clinical pilot study to confirm the laboratory methods

Lissa Francois, Lindsay Kugler, Jacobo L. Santolaya, Revital Faro, Valeria Di Stefano, Lena Merjanian, Joaquin Santolaya-Forgas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: The corrections necessary to estimate the risk for Down syndrome in twin pregnancies have been pointed out. We performed a nested controlled study to evaluate the validity of these corrections in dichorionic twins conceived by IVF. Methods: Detailed clinical data was collected from the medical records. Twins were matched with a contemporaneous cohort of spontaneously conceived singleton pregnancies that serve as reference in a 1 to 4 ratio. All patients had their entire obstetrical care at our Hospital. The Student t-test was used for group comparisons and a p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Nineteen sets of normal twins concordant in size and with appropriate weight for gestational age were matched with 80 normal and mature newborns. Significant differences between groups were found for maternal age, gestational age at delivery and newborn weight (all p<0.01). No statistical differences were noted for the levels of the biochemical markers expressed as multiples of the median. However, a 15 % closer approximation to the laboratory median for PAPP-A and a 10 % closer approximation to the laboratory median for free β-hCG was evident in twins when compared to the reference group. Conclusions: These findings support the methods used to estimate the risk for Down syndrome in dichorionic twin pregnancies conceived after IVF. A future study with a larger sample size could confirm if the laboratory corrections done on the combined screening test improve the predictability of Down syndrome in dichorionic twin pregnancy conceived by IVF when compared to singleton pregnancies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)125-128
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of assisted reproduction and genetics
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Down syndrome screening
  • First trimester combined screening test
  • Free β-hCG
  • IVF
  • PAPP-A
  • Twin pregnancies

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Genetics
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics(clinical)

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