Objective: To determine the best weight-correction model by means of analyzing the relationship between maternal weight and maternal serum markers when screening for Down syndrome in China.
Methods: Serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were measured in 35,917 Chinese women during the second semester of a normal singleton pregnancy and converted to multiple of median (MoM) values. Using 2 methods of statistical analysis, the all-point method and the median regression method, 4 weight-correction models were then tried, the simple linear, reciprocal, quadratic, and log-linear regression models.
Results: The median regression method performed better than the all-point method, and the quadratic regression model showed the best fit for both AFP and hCG in the median regression method, with adjusted R(2)s of 0.987 and 0.988, respectively.
Conclusion: The quadratic regression model was found to be the most suitable for Chinese pregnant women.