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  |  Pregnancy  |  Tests  |  Why should I go for an amnio?
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Why should I go for an amnio?

by Christine Hill

question
I am 35 years old and pregnant with my first child. I have been told by my health care provider that there is no real point to me having initial blood tests to determine Downs syndrome as my age will ensure that the results come back in the high risk category anyway, and if I want to be tested, I may as well go straight for an amniocentesis. Is this correct? I ask because I work with a woman of 38, who has just given birth to her first child, and she only had the blood tests, which came back within the expected range. How is this possible, unless she lied about her age? I don't want to take risks that I don't have to.

answer
It's difficult when different health care providers have different policies, but it is quite normal for some hospitals to routinely offer an amniocentesis to all women over the age of 35.

The facts are as follows: if a mother is aged 30, the chance of her carrying a baby with Down's syndrome is 1:910, and if a mother is aged 35, the risk increases to 1:380. (Still pretty small - 379 women out of 380 will not be carrying a baby with Down's syndrome.) If a mother is aged 40, it is 1:110 and at 45, it is 1:30.

The blood test is only a risk assessment test, and therefore won't tell anything for definite. If it shows that your risk of being pregnant with a baby with Down's syndrome is less than 1:250, the result is described as screen negative. A risk of more than 1:250 is described as screen positive.

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