An increased risk of fetal Down's syndrome (trisomy 21) is themost common reason for offering prenatal genetic diagnosis.The chance of giving birth to a child with Down's syndrome increasesthroughout a woman's reproductive years. Since the 1970s, anage of 35 years at delivery has been used as the cutoff foroffering amniocentesis for this indication in the United States.After this age, the risk of Down's syndrome rises rapidly andis thought to balance the risks of amniocentesis. Nondirectivecounseling enables couples to compare the risk and burden ofDown's syndrome with the risks, accuracy, and limitations . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Source Information
From the Divisions of Reproductive Genetics (M.T.M., D.A.D.) and Maternal Fetal Medicine (M.T.M.), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
Related Letters:
First-Trimester Screening for Down's Syndrome
Wald N. J., Leporrier N., Leymarie P., Herrou M., Nicolaides K. H., Wapner R. J., the BUN Study Group , Mennuti M. T., Driscoll D. A.
Extract |
Full Text |
PDF
N Engl J Med 2004;
350:619-621, Feb 5, 2004.
Correspondence
This article has been cited by other articles:
Odibo, A. O., Stamilio, D. M., Nelson, D. B., Sehdev, H. M., Macones, G. A.
(2005). A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Prenatal Screening Strategies for Down Syndrome. Obstet Gynecol
106: 562-568
[Abstract][Full Text]
Odibo, A. O., Sehdev, H. M., Dunn, L., McDonald, R., Macones, G. A.
(2004). The Association Between Fetal Nasal Bone Hypoplasia and Aneuploidy. Obstet Gynecol
104: 1229-1233
[Abstract][Full Text]
Wald, N. J., Leporrier, N., Leymarie, P., Herrou, M., Nicolaides, K. H., Wapner, R. J., the BUN Study Group, , Mennuti, M. T., Driscoll, D. A.
(2004). First-Trimester Screening for Down's Syndrome. NEJM
350: 619-621
[Full Text]
(2003). Earlier Screening for Fetal Chromosomal Anomalies. JWatch Women's Health
2003: 1-1
[Full Text]