#routinization

For medical elites, prenatal testing for Down syndrome is to allow for abortion

The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have issued new guidelines on the administration of prenatal screening and diagnostic testing. A critical reading of the guidelines makes clear that the justifications given for prenatal testing are limited in the case of Down syndrome to allowing for aborting the pregnancy and that preserving the…

More informed decisions = less prenatal testing

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association makes what for some is a surprising finding: when women know more about prenatal testing, fewer of them accept it.

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How many women have prenatal testing for Down syndrome?

Sequenom’s MaterniT21, et al., booth

A recent study calculated how many women in the United States have prenatal screening for Down syndrome. It’s a growing number.  (more…)

Is a Down syndrome a disappearing birth defect?

Fig. 1 from Collins et al. (2008)

Based on their study of Down syndrome births and terminations in Victoria, Australia over a 19 year period, the study authors’ asked whether Down syndrome is disappearing. The answer is “no … not yet.” (more…)