THE proportion of pregnancies which are terminated in Scotland following a diagnosis of Down syndrome has reduced significantly, according to a new study.
Research conducted by the Glasgow University-based Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory found that the percentage of pregnancies ended after tests indicated the developing foetus carried the chromosomal abnormality for Down's syndrome had fallen to 85.2 per cent by 2011, compared to 97.3 per cent during the 1990s.
It suggests expectant mothers in Scotland are more likely to continue a pregnancy following a Down syndrome diagnosis than those in England and Wales, where the termination rate is 90.1 per cent.
The study was carried out following concerns that the routine introduction of highly accurate, non-invasive prenatal tests for Down syndrome might lead to an increase in terminations.
The findings analysed the the results of all 26,261 prenatal invasive tests held by Scotland’s genetic service laboratories in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Dundee from 2001 until 2011 and linked these to health records to determine the outcome of these pregnancies. Around six in every hundred pregnancies (5.6 per cent) resulted in a diagnosis of chromosomal anomalies, most commonly Down syndrome.
By 2011, mothers aged over 35 accounted for nearly one in five births compared to around 15 per cent a decade earlier.
While women in this age group are more likely to have a baby with Down syndrome, the study found that they were also "markedly less likely to terminate".
The researchers suggested the trend towards fewer terminations may be evidence of a "more accepting" society.
They wrote: "Our results may indicate that society is , or that support is more readily available for affected parents and offspring. People with Down syndrome are considerably more visible in Scottish society now than in the era of the long-stay intellectual disabilities hospitals."
Professor Anna Cooper, Director of the Observatory, said: “These findings are important because they potentially reflect positive changes in attitudes towards people with Down syndrome, and others, in Scottish society.
"As people with Down syndrome have become more visible and community based health and care services have improved parents may feel enabled to envision a positive future for their child with Down syndrome. Medical advances also mean that the health and life expectancy of people with Down syndrome has improved significantly over recent years."
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