Concious decision
You decide if you want to be tested for Down syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome. What are your considerations? You can consider the following elements:
- How much do you want to know about your child before it is born?
- Suppose you test positive, and your child may have a disorder. Would you want to have follow-up testing done to make sure? You can also do nothing and carry the foetus to term. You decide what you want to do.
- What is your opinion about chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis and its increased risk of a miscarriage?
- If the follow-up test shows that your child indeed suffers from a disorder, how can you prepare for this?
- What are your thoughts about life with a child with Down syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome or Patau’s syndrome?
- What is your opinion about potentially terminating a pregnancy if the child has a disorder?
The follow-up test may show that you are carrying a child with Down syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome or Patau’s syndrome. It is also possible that you are carrying a child with a different chromosomal abnormality. This may mean that you have some difficult decisions to make. Discuss this with your partner, with your obstetrician, family doctor, gynaecologist or other people who play an important role in your life. If you decide that you want to terminate your pregnancy, you can do so up to the 24th week of your pregnancy. Regardless of the decision you make, we will always offer you guidance.
Help in choosing
At www.onderzoekvanmijnongeborenkind.nl you will find the questionnaire Bewust kiezen (conscious decision). This can help you organise your thoughts about the screening. The site also contains tips on how to discuss this subject with your partner or others. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us.