[»CassyJoon«]

I just seen a question on here about the blood test they offer you to take. My doctor asked me if I wanted to do it but I asked her for some time to think about it. But how exactly do they determine a baby having down syndrome? And what causes a child to have down syndrome?Sorry if it seems like a stupid question but this is my first child and I am really curious.

[1st Baby! =)]

I can't answer your first question, but I can certainly answer the second!Instead of having two copies of chromosome 21, there are three. It's a disease stemming from chromosomes. Isn't that amazing how one tiny mistake in a body can have such an affect? =) I think it's quite interesting.The chances of your child having Down's Syndrome increases significantly if you are having your child at age 35 or greater.

[Poppy: 36 weeks]

Downs syndrome is a translocation of chromosome 21. Meaning there are 3 copies of chromosome 21 instead of 2.There are 4 ways of determining if the baby has DS:Two are screening tests: they will not tell you if the baby has it. They will indicate an increased or decreased risk:- AFP blood test. They are looking for increased levels of alpha fetoproterin- NT ultrasound - looking at an increased accumulation of fluid behind the baby's neck - this gives an increased risk.Two tests can CONFIRM it:- Amniocentesis- CVS testing

[♥EVERYDaY i PRaY♥]

There's nothing that"causes"it or is on any wrong doing of the mom. It's mainly genetics and they have a blood test usually doen in 2nd trimester than can detect gene abnormalitites. However, not all Drs. will perform the test&the test is nto a 100% guarantee that your bbay won't have developmental disprders in the future.

I don't know the causes, but trisomy 21 is the genetic abnormality that xauses it.but you can get a special ultrasound around 11-13 weeks called a nuchal translucency ultrasound that takes a blood test and does special measurements to indicate how high your risk factors are for down syndrome and other genetic abnormalities.

Amniocintesis is the only way to tell exactly, but they do two blood tests and an NT ultrasound between 11 and 15 weeks to determine if you're even at risk for it. The ultrasound measures the gap in the baby's neck- the larger the gap the likelier the baby would have DS.

If the blood test comes back abnormal then they do more testing. That test isn't JUST for down syndrome, it can detect things like cleff pallet and spina bifita. As for what causes down syndrome I'm not sure I do know that older women have a higher chance of getting it. I got the test I feel it's better to be prepared if something were wrong.