It is possible to detect Down syndrome without amniocentesis

According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), future trials of Down syndrome will not increase the risk of miscarriage. Many groups of scientists are studying methods to diagnose the risk of Down syndrome in future babies from fetal cells moving in the mother's blood.

Dr. Ravinder Dhallan of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Maryland (USA) published the first experimental results in BMJ magazine. He confirmed that new tests will be used within the next 5 or 10 years.

Before 1997, it was not known that fetal blood contained fetal cells. Amniocentesis to detect Down syndrome increases 0.5% of the risk of miscarriage.

This risk doubles if this method is done in the first 3 months of pregnancy, considering the best time to remove the baby if its parents do not want to have a baby with Down syndrome. With fetal cell testing in the mother's blood, one can avoid these two problems.

However, according to Dr. Dhallan, the study is still in the preliminary stage and should only be performed in 60 female patients.

VN