Genetic diagnosis in multiple pregnancies.

A twin gestation presents unique problems in both genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis. This article describes the specific genetic counseling concerns for a twin gestation and outlines the available techniques for genetic prenatal diagnosis. The technical aspects, risks and benefits to the pregnancy of amniocentesis and of chorionic villi sampling are compared. Although the risk of miscarriage after amniocentesis in a twin gestation is at least double that for a singleton, much of this additional risk is secondary to the inherent hazards of twins and not procedure-related. In experienced centers, chorionic villi sampling is equally safe and efficacious, and allows an earlier diagnosis that may be beneficial when discordant results are found. The aspects of serum screening unique to twin gestations are also outlined. Prenatal diagnosis by both chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis can be safely performed in twin gestations and higher-order multiple gestations. Serum screening is also useful, but appears to have a lower sensitivity and specificity than in singletons.