title: Medication effects on midtrimester maternal serum screening.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether medication classes are associated with alterations in concentrations of Quad screen analytes or the screen-positive rate.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women with singleton gestations who received prenatal care and had a Quad screen performed in the University of Alabama at Birmingham system. Information on prescription medications was abstracted. Mean multiples of the medians for each analyte (alpha-fetoprotein, estriol, human chorionic gonadotropin, and inhibin A) and overall screening results were compared between those taking the class of medication and controls not taking any medications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 6206 women evaluated; 1337 took at least 1 prescription medicine and 4869 were controls. Mean analyte multiples of the medians were significantly different in women taking some medications compared with controls. Women taking certain medications had an increased screen-positive rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medications taken around the time of maternal serum screening are associated with alterations in individual analyte multiples of the medians, as well as the screen-positive rates.
authors.affiliation: Center for Women's Reproductive Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Dawn M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Pekarek
authors.forename: Victoria R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Cherry L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Neely
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Ramsey
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Biggio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000782:Aneuploidy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood*; D025063:Chromosome Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004964:Estriol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000097:blood*; D008403:Mass Screening; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; C422362:inhibin A; D007265:Inhibins; D004964:Estriol