The level of alpha-fetoprotein in a pregnant woman can show if her baby may have birth defects. It's part of a triple or quad screen. Find out more about this test.

AFP levels vary widely during pregnancy. The test will be inaccurate if you’ve been pregnant for a longer or shorter period of time than you thought.

Another test, called urinary alpha-fetoprotein, is done using urine samples, as well as amniotic alpha-fetoprotein levels using amniocentesis, after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The level of AFP rises from about 0.2 ng/mL before pregnancy to 250 ng/mL at 32 weeks. Increased leakage of AFP occurs in neural tube defects, gastrointestinal tract anomalies, and other fetal ...

Unexplained stillbirth and the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) share some features. A raised maternal serum level of alpha-fetoprotein during the second trimester of pregnancy is a marker of pl ...

A retrospective review of 27,710 medical records at UW Medicine hospitals evaluating alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels in pregnant patients between January 2007 and December 2020 found no clinical ...

“Women in the study with the highest AFP levels had a one in 1000 risk of cot death, compared to the average risk of one in 2000 – if the general population of pregnant women had a low level ...

Higher levels of AFP in your blood can help doctors catch liver problems and some cancers. Find out what the results may mean. ... The reference range will vary with pregnant women.