Nowadays, with advanced science and technology, women need to undergo timely prenatal checkups after pregnancy. Prenatal checkups can detect malformed infants, and many pregnant women are very aware of the importance of prenatal care. Regular prenatal check ups can reduce the risk of childbirth. So, can fetal intellectual disability be detected through prenatal examination?
No, usually the Wechsler Intelligence Test can only be performed after the age of four to assess intellectual development. Although it is not possible to visually determine whether the fetus has low intelligence, other examination methods can be used to indirectly assess the intelligence level.
During pregnancy, expectant mothers usually have 8 or more prenatal check ups, with the purpose of screening for the pregnant woman's physical condition and fetal abnormalities. Fetal abnormalities include structural and chromosomal abnormalities, which can be screened by ultrasound, but ultrasound examination cannot detect fetal intelligence.
Chromosomal abnormalities mainly screen whether the fetus has trisomy 21, trisomy 13, trisomy 18 syndrome, and neural tube defects, which can lead to fetal intellectual disability. If the screening is abnormal, further prenatal diagnosis is required. However, in addition to these situations, if the pregnant mother suffers from other diseases, such as pregnancy combined with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, it may also lead to fetal intellectual disability. Without these defects, there is generally no intellectual disability.
