Test can screen for Down’s syndrome

A MAMMOTH study of almost 50,000 women provided conclusive evidence that a “quadruple” blood test is the best way to screen pregnant women for the risk of Down’s syndrome.

The serum test looks for four molecular “markers” in a woman’s blood stream during the second three months of pregnancy.

Although offered to some extent in Britain, it is not yet the standard method of detecting women at risk of Down’s syndrome.