A large new study led by Boston researchers shows that a simple blood test is superior to standard screening methods for detecting chromosomal abnormalities in a fetus, paving the way for a new generation of prenatal genetic tests to be offered to all pregnant women.
The research published Wednesday is the first US study to compare these new genetic tests with standard screening methods in large numbers of low-risk pregnant women, and it found the tests were more accurate and produced far fewer false positive readings.
That means fewer women who get tested would have to confirm their result with invasive tests such as amniocentesis, which carry a small risk of miscarriage.
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Read the full, original story: DNA blood test can detect prenatal problems
