Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) can usually be screened for around the third to sixth month of pregnancy.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease, due to the degeneration of motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy, and is a common fatal disease in infancy. Currently, there is no effective clinical treatment, but it is often necessary to do prenatal screening to prevent the occurrence of this disease, and it can be done by taking the peripheral blood of pregnant women around 3 to 6 months of pregnancy.
SMA screening is not mandatory during pregnancy, and pregnant women can decide whether to undergo prenatal screening according to their own situation. If either of the husband or wife suffers from SMA or has given birth to a child suffering from SMA, they should undergo prenatal screening in a timely manner, which is conducive to eugenics.
Prenatal screening programs need to be carried out under the guidance of the doctor at the appropriate gestational week, and in case of abnormalities, medical intervention should be sought as early as possible to avoid adverse consequences.