A report issued recently by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) dispels the myth that more women over 35 have babies born with Down Syndrome. According to the report, which was issued this past May, 80 percent of children with chromosome abnormalities, including Down Syndrome, are born to women under the age of 35. A common misconception about this disorder is that only older mothers need to worry about giving birth to a baby with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a common chromosomal disorder that occurs when you have an extra chromosome number 21, Trisomy 21. Instead of having the normal two copies of this chromosome, a person with Down Syndrome will have three.
With respect to making moms-to-be aware of the risks of giving birth to a baby with Down Syndrome, the emphasis has always been on the advanced maternal age group. When I was pregnant I went through a battery of tests at a special clinic at Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans. The clinic was strictly for pregnancies that are deemed high risk. What younger women and the health care profession need to realize now is that all moms-to-be should be tested or at least made aware of the fact that no matter their age, they are at risk.
The report also points out that while it is true that the more advanced the maternal age is, the greater the chances of having a baby with Down Syndrome. But this group is not the most common group affected. When you look at the overall average when taking all maternal birth ages into consideration , one in every 733 births will produce a baby with Down Syndrome. It just makes sense that considering all the babies born each year, there are many more women under the age of 35 giving birth and their babies have a greater chance of being born with the condition, according to the report.