Schwangerschafts protein 1 (SP1) adds little to the age-related detection of fetal Down syndrome in the first trimester of pregnancy

Schwangerschafts Protein 1 (SP1), being a placental protein appearing in the maternal circulation early in pregnancy, has been investigated as a potential marker for Down syndrome in the first trimester. Our study compared SP1 levels in 15 pregnancies with a Down syndrome fetus and 97 matched controls. Although the median MoM in Down syndrome pregnancies (0·49) was lower than in controls, its use as a marker added very little to the detection rate above the maternal age alone. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.