what are maternal serum markers?

aubreyalise

i've googled, and i'm going to call my dr's office this afternoon and talk to them about it, but i thought i'd see if anyone here could shed somelight. i emailed my insurance company last week to ask about the NT scan. my dr had mentioned that many times insurance companies don't cover it, so i asked my insurance company. they came back with

"We will cover one first trimester Down Syndrome screening test (10-13 weeks). It is a combination of maternal serum markers and a fetal nuchal translucency measurement for women who are adequately counseled and who desire information on the risk of having a child with Down Syndrome.

 

We do not cover the screening using measurement nuchal translucency alone.    

i tried looking it up online but i couldn't find a simple definition for it. anyone have any clue?

thanks

 

Gina418

The NT scan is a combo of the ultrasound and blood tests. Serum is just a word for the part of the blood they test.

aubreyalise

thank you SO much! you'd think they could've just said 'blood test', *that* i would have understood!