Experts say that women should be offered screening tests to pick up serious genetic problems earlier in pregnancy.
Tests for the genetic conditions Patau and Edward’s syndromes currently take place at about 20 weeks of pregnancy. The UK National Screening Committee is recommending that blood tests and scans to detect the abnormalities should be carried out sooner.
This recommendation would enable women to make important choices at an earlier stage of their pregnancy. The conditions affect about two in every 10,000 births in the UK each year.
