Down syndrome prevention program in a population with an older maternal age

Abstract

In a population with a high proportion of mothers at least 35 years old, as in the Jewish population in Israel, screening by maternal serum markers instead of by maternal age alone would leave the Down syndrome detection rate unchanged, but would lower the amniocentesis rate from 16.2-17.1% to 9.28%. In addition to the reduction in the expected fetal loss as a result of post-amniocentesis spontaneous abortion, this policy would also pay the cost of maternal serum marker testing of the entire pregnant population.