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Miami Ob-Gyn Specialist Recommends Integrated Prenatal Screening for Pregnant Women of All Ages

Posted on: Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 12:00 CST

New modalities to identify Down syndrome and other serious genetic defects are now recommended for pregnant women of all ages, according to Randy A. Fink, MD, a board-certified specialist in gynecology and obstetrics. The tests are known as the Integrated Screen and the Sequential Screen.

"These are safe, non-invasive procedures that combine ultrasound images with laboratory tests to deliver results with a high degree of accuracy," said Dr. Fink, who uses this screening tool at his private obstetrics-gynecology practice in Kendall. Most obstetricians have the opportunity to order these tests from specialist or a diagnostic center.

Recently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended that every pregnant woman -- regardless of age -- be offered a choice of tests for Down syndrome, a chromosomal defect that usually results in mild to moderate mental retardation, as well as other medical problems.

The new guidelines, published in the January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, are a significant change from previous recommendations more strenuously recommending invasive testing for women aged 35 and over.

"The risk of Down syndrome, as well as other genetic and metabolic disorders, increases gradually with age," said Dr. Fink, a Fellow in ACOG, and a peer reviewer for the Journal of Family Planning & Reproductive Health. "But it can happen to anyone. Therefore, it is important even for younger women to be screened early in their pregnancies."

About one in 800 babies in the U.S. is born with Down syndrome. The rate rises from one in 1,200 births when the mother is 25 to one in 300 births at age 35.

Integrated prenatal screening is performed in the first trimester between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy. "If a problem is detected, there is still time for an invasive test, such as amniocentesis, to confirm the initial results," he said.

Dr. Fink said research studies indicate integrated prenatal screening will detect approximately 92 percent of babies affected with Down syndrome and up to 90 percent of those with Trisomy 18, a chromosome abnormality that causes severe mental retardation. The screening will also detect about 80 percent of babies with spina bifida or other open neural tube defects.

Dr. Fink's wide-ranging practice includes women's health maintenance, prenatal care, delivering new babies, and menopausal treatments.

Source: Business Wire

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