Testing for Down syndrome in the older woman: A risky business?.

For over 30 years, antenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome has been offered on the basis of advanced maternal age. While this was appropriate in the 1970s, developments in antenatal screening have rendered this a most inefficient strategy that is associated with excessive costs and procedure-related pregnancy losses. In this article we argue for a review of how we test for Down syndrome in the older woman. © 2005 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.