Pregnant Younger Women Now Urged to Check for Down Syndrome

January 2nd, 2007

In the past, only pregnant women age 35 and older were given a test for Down syndrome, a complication that is more likely to occur in older women. The long-utilized procedure involved amniocentesis, in which samples of amniotic fluid were withdrawn by needle for lab testing. This invasive procedure, usually administered in the fourth month of pregnancy, carried some risk, including the potential loss of the fetus.

Today, a variety of less invasive tests are widely available. Some can detect in the first trimester of pregnancy any evidence of Down syndrome or other chromosomal defects in the developing fetus.

In late December 2006, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that every pregnant woman, regardless of age, be given a choice of tests for Down syndrome. Mothers-to-be can now have peace of mind without the ordeal of unnecessary amniocentesis. The new policy will also facilitate the detection of Down syndrome in mothers who would have gone unchecked under the “35-plus” guideline.

Age 35 was always an arbitrary threshold for testing pregnant women for Down syndrome, a condition in which an extra chromosome causes mental retardation.  A baby with this condition is characteristically born with a broad, flat face and small head. Sometimes, serious heart defects are also present.

About one in 800 babies is born with Down syndrome. Down syndrome is more prevalent in pregnancies of women over 35. At age 25, the risk is about one in 1,200. By age 35, the chances are closer to one in 300. More Down syndrome babies are actually born to younger women than to older ones, as fewer women over 35 are still having babies.

The decision to do away with the previous age 35 guidelines was made because of the great improvement in screening tests. The January issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology is publishing the new recommendations for testing of pregnant women.

Source:  Oakland Tribune; Lauran Neergaard (from Associated Press story); Dec. 31, 2006

Entry Filed under: Pregnancy & Birth,WOMEN'S HEALTHCARE