AFP

After Friday's minor scare, I did receive a bit of good news regarding the AFP level. AFP stands for alpha fetoprotein and you can read more about the definition here. When you do the 2nd trimester blood test for Down's and other chromosomal abnormalities, AFP is one of the blood markers. An elevated AFP I believe can signify a neural tube defect and that is usually why it is measured. But an elevated AFP can also be a predictor for pre-eclampsia development later. It's not a definite (ie some folks have high AFPs and do not get pre-e; some folks have normal AFPs and still go on it get it). But...an elevated AFP in the absence of a neural tube defect like spina bifida can mean a placental abnormality (thus the link to pre-e). AFP is measured as a multiple of the median (MoM) so the closer to 1.0 the better, or the more normal I should say. 2.5 is the program cut-off for considering it to be elevated. My number was 1.07! So very positive, and a good sign of being "normal." Again in itself does not mean much but we shall take the good result and move two steps forward in this journey!