Down syndrome Test - Love & Relationship Forums

Avri · #1 (**permalink**) 01-01-2006, 09:59 PM

I did read an interesting article the other and thought it might be a good topic to discuss here.

Quote:

Safe tests assess pregnancy risks for those over 35

January 1, 2006
By JANE E. BRODY The New York Times
Dawn will be 35 when her first child is born in April. Based on her age alone, she has 1 chance in 270 that her fetus has Down syndrome, a genetic defect caused by an extra chromosome that results in mental retardation and other problems.

In recent decades, many thousands of older women have been offered the option of having an invasive test — amniocentesis, or more recently chorionic villus sampling, known as CVS — to find out for sure whether their babies would be born with the syndrome. The tests are costly and can sometimes result in miscarriage, not a happy outcome for any woman who wants a baby, let alone an older woman who may have tried for years to become pregnant.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pb...601010315/1031

Avri

Diana · #2 (**permalink**) 01-02-2006, 10:42 PM

I remember doing that test and that the doctor mentioned the small risk that the fetus could get hurt.

Diana

Susan · #3 (**permalink**) 01-04-2006, 03:35 PM

Researchers have established that the likelihood that a reproductive cell will contain an extra copy of chromosome 21 increases dramatically as a woman ages. Therefore, an older mother is more likely than a younger mother to have a baby with Down syndrome. However, of the total population, older mothers have fewer babies; about 75% of babies with Down syndrome are born to younger women because more younger women than older women have babies. Only about nine percent of total pregnancies occur in women 35 years or older each year, but about 25% of babies with Down syndrome are born to women in this age group.

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