2007-07-15 05:23:19 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
It's called amniocentesis. Some amniotic fluid is withdrawn and examined. Cells from the embryo are examined for their chromosomes, to see if they are normal. Down's is a chromosome abnormality.
2007-07-15 05:27:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes, they do a blood test. The test looks for a specific protein. It is not 100% as there is some variability. It just gives a risk percentage. There are a couple of other tests they can do, but for absolute certainty, they can do amnio.
If you are over 35, you are automatically offered a CVS test. This is like amniocentisis except done earlier. It tests placental tissue rather than amniotic fluid. The results are from DNA so are much more conclusive. CVS does not test for spina bifida however. Only amnio can do that. However, spina bifida does not increase with age, and there are other tests they can do for this.
One poster above is wrong. If you test positive for downs syndrome, doctors will often offer amniocentisis to confirm.
2007-07-15 14:03:28 · answer #2 · answered by CarbonDated 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it's just a simple blood test a poke in the arm and you are on your way. They do not do an amnio to test for this. IF there are problems with your bloodwork then they will do further testing. Most doctors won't do an amnio at all due to the risks involved. There are cases when they do, but I highly doubt they will. My daughter was supposed to have been born with a neural tube defect (down syndrome, spina bifida and so on) she is fine.... all they did was a blood test and several ultra sounds. This is a simple test that almost ALL women have around 15 weeks of pregnancy. There is no cause for alarm.
2007-07-15 12:32:03 · answer #3 · answered by Kishauna_P 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The initial test is a blood test, but it's NOT a test - it's a screen. That means it gives you odds that your baby has Down syndrome (or several other things). Based on those results, you can decide whether to do an actual test, such as an amnio.
2007-07-15 14:54:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is a normal blood test, the only difference may be what is in the bottom of the vial. Different blood tests sometimes have different chemicals already in the vial.
However this test can not tell you if your child has Down's just if your child has an increased risk of Down's.
And honestly if you aren't going to abort the baby there is little point to the test. Down's isn't treatable before birth, it doesn't effect delivery or impact the pregnancy.
The only real purpose is to abort "defective" fetuses. And while I have my own views on that everyone is entitled to their own.
2007-07-15 12:35:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The initial test is a blood test. As are most genetic type testing. They can also see signs of Down's with an ultrasound.
2007-07-15 12:26:22 · answer #6 · answered by Cynthia O 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Dear friend, Just to let you know, I teach kids with Down Syndrome and they are great! -Runner
2007-07-17 22:42:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't' think they do blood work up they take some of the amniotic fluid inside the sac and test that. That is done through the womb and its safe cause they can see the baby on the screen when they do it.
2007-07-15 12:26:25 · answer #8 · answered by Tapestry6 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋
they never did an amnio on me, they did blood work all they did was take some blood...that was it
2007-07-15 13:04:42 · answer #9 · answered by sugarplumfaerie52686 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they do an amniocentesis..im sure i spelled it wrong..they stick the needle in your belly button
2007-07-15 12:26:22 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 5⤋