Should all pregnant women be screened for Down syndrome?
ACOG thinks so, regardless of age, especially now that less invasive screening techniques, such as ultrasound, can assess risk as early as 11 weeks' gestation.
ACOG thinks so, regardless of age, especially now that less invasive screening techniques, such as ultrasound, can assess risk as early as 11 weeks' gestation.
ACOG believes that all women should be offered the option of screening for this most common chromosomal abnormality before the 20th week of pregnancy. Then, if the risk merits, women can choose to pursue more accurate diagnostic testing methods, such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.
ACOG Committee on Practice Bulletins. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 77: screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Obstet Gynecol. 2007;109:217-227.
