You are not alone

Last Thursday, USA Today featured a front-age, below-the-fold story by Liz Szabo on the recent advances in Down syndrome prenatal testing. The report shares an important recommendation for those receiving a prenatal test result.  Continue Reading

What are the odds that you are having a child with Down syndrome?

Here in my hometown, it's Derby week. With the greatest two minutes in sports upon us, it naturally has me thinking about odds. Indeed, prenatal testing for Down syndrome has that same focus. So, what are the odds that you are having a child with Down syndrome? Not only is this answer important, but it will surprise many. Continue Reading

What is the real worry about the newest prenatal testing for Down syndrome?

  I've been reviewing the recent Wall Street Journal report by Christopher Weaver on the new prenatal testing for Down syndrome. Weaver reports on questions raised by the new testing. The accompanying video to the report (available above) distills the worry down to a few simple statements. But are these statements the real worry with the new prenatal testing for Down syndrome? Continue Reading

What price to do prenatal testing right?

The recent Wall Street Journal report by Christopher Weaver on Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) included a number that suggests how much money is in the NIPS market. But what else should that money be going towards? Continue Reading

Non-NIPS tests for Down syndrome are “tarot cards”

Continuing the examination of Christopher Weaver's recent report on NIPS in the Wall Street Journal, one quote jumped off the page when I read it. Did you know that screening tests that are not NIPS are as helpful as "tarot cards"? Continue Reading

Worries about new prenatal screen for Down syndrome

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal published a report on worries being raised about the new prenatal screening testing for Down syndrome. What are these worries (and are these the only ones worth reporting on)? Continue Reading

One of the most compassionate missions in the United States

Did you know that there is a national registry of families wanting to adopt a child with Down syndrome? The registry is maintained by the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network (NDSAN), which has one of the most compassionate missions in the United States. Continue Reading

Is the ISPD statement unjustified?

Continuing the series of posts on the new International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis's (ISPD) policy statement on prenatal testing for aneuploidy, I will seek to answer the questions prompted by that statement. In doing so, it leads to the ultimate question of whether the ISPD statement is unjustified? Continue Reading

The ACMG steps out from the crowd with NIPS policy statement

Along with the ISPD, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) issued its own policy statement on the newest form of prenatal testing for Down syndrome. The ACMG statement says some of the same things as the other professional medical organization positions, but it sets itself apart on several key points. Continue Reading