A prenatal test results is done to detect any kind of chromosomal or genetic disorder in a fetus during pregnancy. If you took a prenatal test after your doctor suggested it on the basis of the screening test results you might already know whats’ going on. A doctor usually asks for a prenatal diagnosis if the screening results show abnormalities in the fetus.

Although having abnormal screening prenatal test results doesn’t mean that there is a 100% surety that something is wrong with the baby it only indicates that there might be a possibility of something being wrong with the baby. So you don’t need to worry about an abnormal screening result and the doctor only asks for further diagnosis to make sure things are safe.

But what are the options do you have if even the prenatal diagnosis test showed an abnormality. What steps should you take in the future?

In the unlikely event, that the test result shows potential concern you can discuss with your genetic counselor about the future steps.

There are two types of anomalies that might be present during birth:

Structural anomalies – this might affect the body parts of the child such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, etc.

Functional anomalies – this affects the working system of the body, like the brain, nervous system, or sensory perception.

It needs to be kept in mind that not all fetal anomalies need treatment. Certain disorders like heart defects might get resolved on their own during the pregnancy. There are some defects that can be resolved just by providing specialized care during pregnancy. And if there is the possibility of some disease that might be present during birth, treatment can be given to the child immediately after birth.