Many women have a difficult time deciding whether or not to have prenatal screening tests. Some women find it helpful to read all of this information first, before making a decision.

Remember, it is your choice whether or not to have a prenatal screening test.

Here are some things to think about that might help you make your decision and that you can discuss with your partner, health care provider, family or friends.

1. Do you want to know the chance of your baby having Down syndrome, trisomy 18 or open neural tube defect?

• There is no cure for Down syndrome, trisomy 18 or open neural tube defect.
• If one of these conditions is found, your health care provider may suggest additional tests and/or change in the way your baby is delivered.
• Some people have screening because they would like the information before birth, or would like to prepare for a child with special needs.
• Some people have screening because they would consider giving the baby up for adoption if their baby was found to have one of these conditions.
• Some people have screening because they would have an abortion if their baby was found to have one of these conditions.

2. How will this information affect your feelings throughout your pregnancy?

• Many women worry if their test results say that the chance of having a baby with one of these conditions is higher than expected. (This is called screen positive.)

3. If your screening test result says the chance is higher than expected, you will need to decide if you want further diagnostic testing to find out for sure if your baby has Down syndrome, trisomy 18 or open neural tube defect.

4. Further diagnostic testing will tell for sure if your baby has one of these conditions, but has a small chance of miscarriage. Are you willing to take that risk?

5. If more testing shows your baby has one of these conditions, what will you do with the information? You will need to decide if you want to continue the pregnancy or have an abortion.

6. If you find out for sure that your baby has a condition like Down syndrome, you can plan for the birth of your child and find out from others what it is like to raise a child with this condition. Would this information be helpful to you before birth? Remember, to know for sure you have to have a diagnostic test which has a small chance of miscarriage.

7. If you have a child with mental and/or physical disabilities, how might this affect your life, your other children, your relationship with your partner and your extended family?

Other things to think about:

• Screening tests will find most babies with Down syndrome, trisomy 18 or open neural tube defects, but not all.
• Screening tests will not find every kind of birth defect, no test can do this.
• Prenatal screening tests might also find conditions other than Down syndrome, trisomy 18 and open neural tube defects, but these are the most common.

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