Down Syndrome Groups Stepping Up Efforts to Help Parents, Doctors

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The advocacy groups had been rattled when the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists began recommending a year ago that every pregnant woman, regardless of age, be offered a choice of tests for this common birth defect. Previously, the focus had been on women older than 35 because the chance of having a child with Down syndrome increases with age. But even before the recommendation, interest in prenatal tests was surging. Joe Leigh Simpson, president of the Maryland-based American College of Medical Genetics, said the number of pregnant women receiving prenatal tests has been increasing over the past five to 10 years. Read more...

Posted by Editor at March 24, 2008 09:03 AM