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Previous Volume 330:1151-1152 April 21, 1994 Number 16 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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For the past two decades, routine amniocentesis has been recommended only for women who are at least 35 years old,¹ because at that age the risk of miscarriage induced by the test is roughly equal to the risk of trisomy 21, the most prevalent nonfatal chromosomal abnormality causing mental retardation and morbidity. That rationale assumes that having a miscarriage and having a child with Down's syndrome are equivalent outcomes. But using 35 years as the threshold age ignores the other chromosomal abnormalities that might prompt some couples to terminate a pregnancy, the level of accuracy of the test, and the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Wyllie, J. P, Madar, R J., Wright, M., Burn, J., Wren, C. (1997). Strategies for antenatal detection of Down's syndrome. Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. 76: 26F-30 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• (1994). A NEW SCREENING STRATEGY FOR DOWN'S SYNDROME. JWatch General 1994: 1-1 [Full Text]