DNA blood tests show prenatal screening promise

Your Health Matters

Jennifer Fontaine kisses her baby daughter, Morgan, at her parents' home in Methuen, Mass. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. After Fontaine's standard prenatal screening suggested her fetus might have Edwards syndrome, a doctor suggested a fetal DNA test, which suggested her fetus was fine. A simple test that looks for fetal DNA in a pregnant woman's blood is far more accurate at detecting or ruling out Down syndrome and other common chromosome disorders than other screening methods used now, a major study finds. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)A DNA test of a pregnant woman's blood is more accurate than current methods of screening for Down syndrome and other common disorders, new research finds. If other studies bear this out, it could transform prenatal care by giving a more reliable, non-invasive way to detect these problems very early in pregnancy.

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