Do you want to have prenatal screening or not?
The choice is yours.
Decisions you may need to make:
If you are UNDECIDED about prenatal screening:
You can discuss your options with your health care provider or genetic counsellor. You can have prenatal screening and make a choice whether or not to continue the process at each step.
If you decide YES to prenatal screening:
You will need to decide with your health care provider which prenatal screening test is right for you.
If your prenatal screening test is screen POSITIVE, you will need to decide if you will have diagnostic testing, keeping in mind that there is a small risk of miscarriage.
If you decide YES to diagnostic testing: You will need to decide what you will do if the result shows your baby has one of these conditions. Will you have an abortion? Will you continue the
pregnancy? Will you give the baby up for adoption?
If you decide NO to prenatal screening:
You may have decided that you don’t want to know if your baby has one of these conditions, you would prefer to “take what comes”.
You may have decided that you would not want to have a diagnostic test under any circumstances because of the small chance of miscarriage.
You may have decided that you would not have an abortion if diagnostic testing confirmed that your baby had one of these conditions.
If you are over 35 years of age* at your due date:
- You need to decide if you would prefer diagnostic testing which can tell for sure if your baby has one of these conditions but has a risk of miscarriage, or…
- If you would prefer to have prenatal screening first and make a decision about diagnostic testing depending on the screening test results.
*For women over 35 years of age at their due date:
Women 35 years of age and over at their due date can decide not to have a prenatal screening test but go directly to diagnostic testing such as CVS and amniocentesis. Remember that screening tests give a better estimate of risk than age alone, for those aged 35 to 39. In particular, women 40 and over should consider counselling about the pros and cons of screening and diagnostic testing. For more information about diagnostic testing see this section later on and talk to your health care provider.
*In some areas, this has changed and applies to women 40 years of age and over at their due date.
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