Urgent Call - Down’s Syndrome Screening Choices

Oct. 18, 2011 - PRLog -- With the increase in the number of women leaving it till later in life to start a family and more couples undergoing IVF, both groups are at a higher risk factor of having a chromosomal abnormality occurring in pregnancy. Around 1000 babies each year are born in the UK with Down’s syndrome.

Pregnant women are seeking advice for the best screening options available, to avoid undergoing invasive diagnostic procedures such as amniocentesis  or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) if a high risk is indicated, as those procedures carry around a 1% risk of miscarriage.

Addmark® pioneered by this is my: health screening and ultrasound centre is seen by many, as a superior first trimester screen to the NHS fetal anomaly screening programmes (FASP)  as not only does Addmark ® screen for Down’s syndrome but also for Edward’s and Patau’s syndromes.  Addmark® uses up to 10 pregnancy ultrasound and biochemical markers whereas the NHS test use 3. Addmark® detects 93% of Down’s affected pregnancies, whereas the NHS are currently quoting a 75% detection rate.

For added reassurance Pre-eclampsia can also be added to the first trimester screen at this is my.  Pre-eclampsia occurs in approximately 1 in 50 first time pregnancies and if developed can cause devastating effects for both baby and mother.  More and more clients are requesting screening for this disease, referred to in the past as toxaemia in pregnancy.

With confusion surrounding screening options, this is my: offer advice and choices.  A free initial consultation is offered so all the necessary information about pregnancy screening options is given, including whether or not to screen in the first place, what the results could indicate and the differences between NHS and private screening.

Lisa from Stockport said “I was worried about my second pregnancy after having a miscarriage earlier this year.  I wanted to know that everything would be OK. After searching the Internet I found this is my, who specialised in pregnancy scans and Down's syndrome screening.   Paying privately for the most precious thing in life is money well spent and my pregnancy care is in good hands".

Professor Howard Cuckle, instrumental in the development of Down’s syndrome screening, President of the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis ISPD, and director at this is my: comments,  “New discoveries are being made all the time in the area of prenatal diagnosis which improve the accuracy of screening and extend the range of diseases that can be detected.  We in the UK have been, and remain, at the forefront of these discoveries.  Nevertheless the NHS can be slow to implement discoveries into routine practice, resulting in a sub-optimal screening service.  By contrast, the aim of this is my: is to offer pregnant women the latest and best methods as soon as the scientific community has agreed that they are valid.”


For more information or media enquiries please contact info@thisismy.co.uk or call 0845 272 9999

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This is my: is a trusted independent private medical provider with over 8 years’ experience in offering a direct access medically supported health screening and ultrasound imaging facility, including pregnancy ultrasound scans from 6 - 42 weeks and 4d baby bond scans.