"The number of Down's Syndrome pregnancies has risen by more than 70% over the last 20 years, University of London researchers say." 92% of couples opt for an abortion for a Down's syndrome pregnancy. (1) This staggering statistic should be of concern to us all.

A chromosome abnormality is thought to be the cause and the likelihood of having a Down’s Syndrome baby increases as a mother’s age increases. So why then such an increase in the last 20 years in Down’s Syndrome babies – is this only due to age or could there be other risk factors?

Research has shown that smoking, use of oral contraceptives commonly known as ‘the pill’ and use of fertility drugs may also be risk factors.

“Younger mothers (<35 years) who smoke and have meiotic II error are at an increased risk of having children with Down syndrome. The combined use of cigarettes and oral contraceptives increased the risk even further.”(2)

The patient information leaflet for Clomid a common drug used for infertility states:

“Population based reports have been published on possible elevation of risk of Down's Syndrome in ovulation induction cases and of increase in trisomy defects among spontaneously aborted foetuses from subfertile women receiving ovulation inducing drugs.” (3)

Exposure to radiation has also been noted as potentially increasing the risk of a Down’s Syndrome baby. This includes x-rays, other medical tests and radiation from nuclear power plants. (4) Indeed some would argue that Down’s Syndrome is an environmental condition and not associated with age and is chiefly caused by radiation and toxins such as petrochemicals. (5)

There are a number of tests for Down’s Syndrome during pregnancy. With the amniocentesis test there is 1 in 200 chance of miscarriage. The chorionic villous sampling (CVS) test has a 1 in 100 chance of miscarriage. Test results are not 100% accurate with a higher rate of false positives for Asian women. (5) Ultrasound is deemed to be a poor predictor of Down’s Syndrome. (6) What if the diagnosis of a Down’s Syndrome pregnancy is incorrect on some occasions and some of those 92% of mothers aborted a perfectly healthy child? If you are going to have and love your child no matter what - are these tests worth the risk of miscarriage and stress?

There is actually some evidence that a nutritional approach and other treatments may improve the quality of life of a Down’s Syndrome child. Indeed good nutrition before and during pregnancy may also be beneficial. (8) (9)

Many people talk about the joy that a Down’s Syndrome child can bring as they usually very loving. As one parent said “you realise it's just another human being who happens to be a little bit different” and perhaps people are misinformed.

It is worth remembering that all children are precious gifts from God and can bring much joy. Think about the consequences of your actions and the potential longer term effects of smoking, ‘the pill’ and fertility drugs. No doubt other risk factors may be discovered in time to come. If you do get a diagnosis of a Down’s Syndrome pregnancy please don’t let your extra special child be the missing part of your life.

Information sources:

1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8327228.stm
2. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/bd/ds.htm
3. http://emc.medicines.org.uk/medicine/820/SPC/Clomid/
4. http://www.wddty.com/x-rays-increase-down-s-risk.html
5. http://www.wddty.com/down-s-syndrome-and-tired-eggs.html
6. www.nhs24.com
7. http://www.wddty.com/ultrasound-a-poor-predictor-of-down-s-syndrome.html
8. http://www.wddty.com/down-s-syndrome-the-nutritional-approach.html
9. http://www.wddty.com/down-s-syndrome.html