Better way to test for Down Syndrome

Sorry, your browser doesn't suppor Java.	Currently, physicians use amniocentesis, a test in which a needle withdraws fluid from the amniotic sac to look for signs of Down syndrome in the fetus. Amniocentesis triggers miscarriage in about 1 percent of the cases. The new method uses a computer program that integrates test results. In one test, given at 10 to 14 weeks of gestation, a woman undergoes an ultrasound and a blood test so doctors can look for a protein linked to Down syndrome. Then one month later, the woman has her blood tested again for abnormal levels of four substances associated with a high risk of Down syndrome. Lead researcher Dr. Nicholas Wald of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London, England, says the new method could prevent the miscarriages of about 1,400 healthy fetuses every year and detect 800 more fetuses with Down syndrome. His research shows standard testing detects 46 percent of Down syndrome cases, but the new method detects 85 percent. Down syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome in the fetus, which causes mental retardation and physical abnormalities. About one in 700 babies are born with Down syndrome.