by Fox News Health A test that can detect Down syndrome from the blood of pregnant women, which would be the first reliable noninvasive prenatal test for the chromosomal disorder, has raised the prospect of routine screening for the condition for every expectant mother who wants it.
The experimental procedure, developed in Hong Kong, has been shown to diagnose 90 percent of Down’s syndrome cases in a small trial, while also correctly identifying 97 percent of fetuses that do not have the condition.
If its accuracy can be improved and it is validated in larger patient trials, which scientists believe should take three to five years, it would transform prenatal testing for Down’s.
At present this is provided only for women at high risk of having a Down’s baby because the current procedure is invasive and can cause a miscarriage. It requires amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), which involve inserting a needle into the womb to remove amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus, or a small piece of the placenta.
If you had the choice, would you want to know if your baby has Down Syndrome? If you found out that she does, what would you do about it?
http://health.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/06/23/down-syndrome-test-poses-ethical-questions/
2 comments:
Meche...It is cool that you are doing this. Are you going to get a teaching degree with emphasis on special ed or what are you doing? That is what I wanted to do...back in the days when I went to school. Anyways, I never knew this about testing women who are pregnant for Down's:
(At present this is provided only for women at high risk of having a Down’s baby because the current procedure is invasive and can cause a miscarriage).
With both of my babies they just said "oops, we missed the time frame where we were supposed to test you for Down's." Then the Dr. would say "oh well, its not like you would have an abortion anyways." Well, he was right, but at the same time, I wanted to be tested and was mad that they didn't test me. I didnt know that it could cause miscarriages though, so maybe I am glad that they "forgot" to test me. If it wasn't a dangerous procedure to test though, I would want to be tested for sure. Not that I wouldn't love my baby the same if it did have Down's, but that I would want to be prepared for the baby and know what was coming. When my sisters first baby was born the Dr. came in and said "we think your baby has Down's." He ended up not having it, but the Dr. was not very tactful in the way he dealt with the whole situation...anyways, I could write a lot more, but I dont want to take up your whole blog...I probably should have just sent you an email! sorry. Love ya
Thanks for commenting Heidi! This is what I am hoping, people will leave their thoughts/questions/concerns. Yes, I am getting a degree in Education. It is actually like a dual major because I will be certified in Early Childhood and Special Ed.
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