Why is downs a risk at 35

This is because many statistics only report live births. They do not note pregnancies with chromosome problems that ended due to pregnancy loss. After having 1 child with Down syndrome, the chance of having another baby with Down syndrome is higher. After age 40, the recurrence risk for Down syndrome is based on the age of the mother at delivery.

Most babies with Down syndrome are born to women under the age of This is because women under the age of 35 have more babies than women over Some studies have shown a higher chance of miscarriage early pregnancy loss in older mothers.

For all women, about half of first trimester miscarriages happen because of a chromosome problem in the baby. Similarly if the level is 5. The graphs below show the overlapping relative frequency distributions of the markers in Down's pregnancies. For a 75K PDF showing all six curves more clearly, please click any graph above.

The serum marker levels are raised in twin pregnancies. Adjustments are made to take account of this. Screening in twin pregnancies poses a difficulty because of the possibility that one fetus may be affected and the other may not. Because of the presence of two fetuses the amniocentesis is a slightly more complex procedure in a twin pregnancy. If one twin is found to be affected and the other unaffected, selective feticide can be offered. This procedure poses a substantial risk to the unaffected twin.

The presence of a twin pregnancy may therefore be seen by some women as a reason to avoid screening. The woman's age at the time of her previous pregnancy with Down's syndrome affects the recurrence risk and this is taken into account in the risk calculation.

This is useful because markers used in screening tend to 'track' between pregnancy e. Most of these services focus on helping children with Down syndrome develop to their full potential. These services include speech, occupational, and physical therapy, and they are typically offered through early intervention programs in each state. Children with Down syndrome may also need extra help or attention in school, although many children are included in regular classes.

The views of these organizations are their own and do not reflect the official position of CDC. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Birth Defects. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Facts about Down Syndrome. Minus Related Pages. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.

You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.