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Breakthrough blood test determines Downs

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CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -

A new breakthrough blood test determines Down syndrome in a non-invasive way.

35-year-old Anna Reid is pregnant with her sixth child.  "I have a six year old, a five year old, a three year old, a two year old, and a ten month old."

The special needs pre-school teacher tells us with her latest pregnancy her doctor suggested getting a new type of blood test called "Cell-free DNA testing." 

The newly FDA approved screening has a 99-percent accuracy in determining if the baby has Down syndrome.  "I would want to be prepared if my child has Downs or anything else wrong with that child.  I would hope that I could be prepared for that to welcome them into the world," says Reid.

MetroHealth Medical Doctor Stephen Myers says the test is groundbreaking.  Blood is drawn from the mother's arm.  DNA is tested to see if the baby has normal chromosomes. The screening is non-invasive, unlike the traditional amniocentesis, where fluid is taken from the uterus.

Doctor Meyers says it's more comprehensive, but, there's a risk of miscarriage.  "We're offering this test to patients at risk, and the risk might be advance maternal age over age thirty five.  The risk might be an abnormality that might be identified on an ultrasound examination."

Reid says her test show baby number six is healthy.  "We would like twelve altogether.  We're halfway there.  We would like to have six more."

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