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Pros cons of prenatal testing
Pros cons of prenatal testing
Pros cons of prenatal testing
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Prenatal tests show the possibility of a child having a genetic disorder, such as Down Syndrome which leads many parents to choose abortion. When it comes to prenatal testing there are many different testing options. Screening tests for example, which are the first tests that are done on the fetus. During the first ten to thirteen weeks of a pregnancy, a woman can get a first trimester screening done. This is an ultrasound and maternal blood test that tests for the genes of Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18. In a first trimester screening, a result of 1/50 means a woman has a 2% chance of having a baby with a chromosome disorder (The Facts on Prenatal Testing). The next testing window is the fifteenth – twentieth week of pregnancy. This is a Quad screening and consists of a maternal blood test the looks for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 1, and neural tube defects in the fetus. In this test there is a 5% false positive rate (The Facts on Prenatal Testing). Lastly, in the screening test options is the anatomy ultrasound, which is done eighteenth-twenty-second weeks into pregnancy. This screening is an ultrasound that assesses for birth defects. Screening tests are non-invasive and therefore leave very few negative impacts on the fetus. The majority of this paper will focus on the more invasive tests, such as diagnostic tests.
Diagnostic tests tell a woman if her baby is affected with a chromosomal disorder. These tests are able to detect disorders beyond just Trisomy 21 and Trisomy 18, which is what the screening tests focus on, but these tests are dangerously invasive. Chronic villus sampling is the first diagnostic test offered to a woman. This test is done between the tenth and twelfth weeks of pregnancy. In chronic...
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second, prenatal testing, is a testing of a fetus at risk for the disease. The
Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, “The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound.
Carrier testing is a popular option for couples who are looking to reproduce and are coming from at-risk populations. It is common for those who chose to undergo carrier testing to be aware of results or genetic disease in their family history. Prenatal testing is available to determine whether a fetus has inherited two, one from each parent, copies of the mutated gene that will cause TSD. Prenatal testing is generally utilized when both parents cannot be ruled out as carriers. Prenatal testing is performed via an assay of Hex A enzyme activity in the fetus’s cells. The cells are taken by chorionic villus sampling—when tissue is taken from the fetal portion of the placenta— or amniocentesis—where amniotic fluid is
The "Genetic Screening" Genetic Screening. NDSU,. Web. The Web. The Web.
In a survey of 999 people who sought genetic counseling conducted by Feighanne Hathaway, M.S., of New York University Langone Medical Center, and colleagues, “Most were eager for a wider spectrum of prenatal genetic tests -- as long as they were for disease” (Smith).
Abortion may appear ethical or unethical depending on various viewpoints and circumstances. The fetus is considered a person and bringing it to term may be unethical as the act is considered as murder. In some situations, the mother may require to terminate a pregnancy for her bodily autonomy (Johnston, 2003). In such positions, the resolution to terminate a pregnancy may be argued as the most ethical choice. The mother is also considered to having a reasonable level of ethical responsibility to the fetus, because she did not take enough precaution to ensure avoiding conception (Cline, 2014). The mother’s ethical responsibility to the fetus may not be enough to deprive her choice of abortion; it...
Cohen, S. (2013, January). Student Health 101 @ Ashford University. Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://readsh101.com/ashfordu.html?id=ec8bd17d
As it gets easier to test for these genetic disorders, so does the perception within both the medical and broader communities that prenatal testing is a logical extension of good prenatal care. On the other hand, as long as in-utero interventions remain relatively rare, and as long as the number or people seeking prenatal genetic information to prepare for the birth of a child with a disability remains small, prospective parents will use positive prenatal test results primarily as the basis of a decision to abort fetuses that carry mutations associated with disease or disability (Parens). “…There is a sense in which prenatal testing is simply a logical extension of the idea of good prenatal care” (Parens).
Maternal serum markers tests determine the presence of pregnancy as well as the age of the fetus. The test allows the patient to be screened for the presence of fetal risk as determined by levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), estriol, and human chorionic gonadotropin (Hcg) (Genetic Alliance, 2010). Maternal serum screening test is a blood test which is offered during pregnancy to determine the risks of neural tube defects, Down syndrome (trisomy 21) and Edward syndrome (trisomy 18) to the fetus. ("Pregnancy tests," 2014). During the first trimester maternal serum testing is used in combination with ultrasound to determine the risks. The test involves blood screening between 9 and 13 weeks gestations and an ultrasound
- Schwartz & Vellody. (2016 April). Prenatal Risk Assessment. Szabo (2013 April). Down Syndrome Diagnoses. USA TODAY. Sourced from health care ethics paper case Hce17.