Four Myths About Prenatal Testing

Last updated on: April 11, 2013 at 4:58 pm by Amy Julia Becker

Four Myths About Prenatal Testing 2013-04-11T16:58:45-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When I was a pregnant 28-year old, I didn’t hesitate as my doctor offered a screening test for various genetic conditions. I figured it couldn’t hurt me or my baby, and that the information the test provided would most likely allow me to check a box off my mental list. I was hoping for reassurance that my child was and would be healthy, happy, and who I expected. As it happens, despite the fact that the prenatal tests suggested otherwise, our daughter was diagnosed with Down syndrome two hours after birth. Since that moment, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about sticking out my arm for a blood draw eight years ago. In retrospect, I wish I had known how problematic my assumptions about prenatal testing were, so my hope now is to offer other women a chance to confront some myths surrounding prenatal testing:

Myth #1: Your doctor can tell you everything you need to know about prenatal testing.

Two hours after Penny was born, a pediatrician and a neonatologist told us that they suspected she had Down syndrome. I hardly heard their words, but later we received a packet of information that listed medical concerns for children with Down syndrome, and I read about her likelihood of developing celiac disease, childhood leukemia, intellectual delays, vision and hearing impairments. But the doctors couldn’t tell me much about what has proved to be far more important to our life as a family—Penny’s personality, the way she would fidget like her father and jump up and down when receiving a new book, just as I did when I was little. Doctors can provide medical information about the conditions that might be diagnosed through prenatal testing, but most doctors are unable to provide information about the social and emotional context for children with disabilities.

A study published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics demonstrated that doctors and genetic counselors value clinical information most when presenting a prenatal diagnosis, even though parents report valuing information that details the social context for Down syndrome. As numerous studies attest, what parents want and what doctors and counselors provide often differ. Expectant parents need more than medical knowledge when making decisions about their families.

Myth #2: The best thing for every pregnant woman is to pursue prenatal screening.

Continue reading Four Myths About Prenatal Testing, my guest post at To the Max, Ellen Seidman’s blog for Parents.com.

Previous Post

April 8, 2013

What William's Tantrums Have Taught Me About God's Love

Next Post

April 15, 2013 What I'm Reading: On Religion and Sorrow and Babies and Writing

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Articles Books Disability Down Syndrome Faith family Perfectly Human Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz