Subscribe to Health UpdatesDown Syndrome Test Available for Pregnant Women Under 35
30 Second Summary
Previously, amniocentesis, a prenatal screening test, was recommended only for women over 35 as they are at an increased risk for having a child with chromosomal defects. This test is safer than amniocentesis as it can diagnose chromosomal defects through one sonogram and two blood tests.
Parents of children with Down syndrome are concerned about a drastic decrease in funding and support that might occur if wider prenatal testing leads to a smaller Down syndrome population.
Approximately 5,500 babies are born each year with Down syndrome. According to the New York Times, about 90 percent of women who are given a Down syndrome diagnosis have an abortion. More diagnoses as a result of increased testing could increase the rate of abortion and lower the number of babies born with Down syndrome.
Headline
Some parents with children who have Down syndrome have requested they be put in touch with couples of a Down syndrome diagnosis to dissuade couples from choosing abortion by sharing their positive experiences with raising a child with Down syndrome. As one parent stated, "For me, it's just faces disappearing...It isn't about abortion politics or religion, it's a pure ethical question."
Source: New York Times
Source: Video:New York Times
Background
Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
The goal of the new guidelines is "to offer screening tests with high detection rates and low false positive rates that also provide patients with diagnostic testing options if the screening test indicates that the patient is at an increased risk for having a child with Down syndrome." The study, Screening for Fetal Chromosomal Abnormalities, is available in the journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Source: Obstetrics & Gynecology Journal
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, Down syndrome is "set of mental and physical symptoms that result from having an extra copy of chromosome 21." Symptoms can include slower physical and mental development as well as hearing problems, heart disease, and dementia.
Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine
According to the Mayo Clinic, amniocentesis is a prenatal test that identifies genetic problems and is performed by inserting a thin needle into your uterus to withdraw amniotic fluid, which is then tested for abnormalities including Down syndrome. As several risks are associated with amniocentesis, including miscarriage, it is only recommended for women over the age of 35 or those predisposed to genetic disorders.
Source: Mayo Clinic
Opinions
In 2005, Patricia E. Bauer a former reporter for the Washington Post and a mother of a girl with Down syndrome questioned the ethical consequences of prenatal testing. "What I don't understand is how we as a society can tacitly write off a whole group of people as having no value...People want what they want: a perfect baby, a perfect life. To which I say: Good luck. Or maybe, dream on."
Source: Washington Post
Many in vitro fertilization clinics now offer pre-implantation genetic diagnosis that can detect defects that would not normally become apparent until adulthood. Slate looks at the ethical implications of screening the genes of embryos.
Source: Slate
The March of Dimes supports the recommendation that every pregnant woman regardless of age is offered the improved method for prenatal screening. The mission of the March of Dimes is "to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality."
Source: March of Dimes
Related Topics
Source: National Down Syndrome Society
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