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American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1999 Feb;89(2):160–163. doi: 10.2105/ajph.89.2.160

Who should be offered prenatal diagnosis? The 35-year-old question.

M Kuppermann 1, J D Goldberg 1, R F Nease Jr 1, A E Washington 1
PMCID: PMC1508524  PMID: 9949742

Abstract

Prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal disorders is generally offered to women who will be 35 years or older at the time of delivery or who have been determined via serum screening to be at risk similar to that of a woman older than 35 years. This age threshold was based on 4 major rationales that reflect considerations of resources and effectiveness. In this paper, we explore the current screening recommendations and consider new information that calls the 35-years threshold into question. We conclude that guidelines regarding use of prenatal diagnosis account for the preferences of the individual patient as well as for individual risk.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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