Breakthrough new test for Down syndrome Invasive procedures such
as amniocentesis could be a thing of the past with recent news
that a blood test performed during pregnancy is being developed
to give the same results. Currently, pregnant women who are
considered at high-risk of giving birth to a baby with
chromosomal or genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome,
muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis, undergo an amniocentesis
test during the fifteenth week of pregnancy. While amniocentesis
is considered extremely accurate - with a greater than 99%
success rate - it also carries with it an increased risk of
miscarriage. Experts estimate that by undergoing amniocentesis,
a pregnant woman increases her risk of miscarriage from 1 in 250
to 1 in 300. The new blood test will carry none of these risks
and will be able to be performed as early as 6 weeks into
pregnancy. As blood samples are taken during routine antenatal
tests, this new test could be performed on high-risk women
without any additional discomfort. Stil