In her book, Expecting Better, Emily Oster, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, writes about lessons learned while pregnant that run counter to the conventional wisdom about prenatal care. One lesson concerns prenatal genetic testing, specifically invasive diagnostic testing. But Oster's lesson is not news, is outdated, and is incomplete. Continue Reading
September 5, 2013
Emily Oster’s Expecting Better, Part II: Prenatal Diagnostic Testing, not new, outdated, & incomplete
September 4, 2013
Emily Oster’s Expecting Better, Part I: Prenatal Screening’s Panicky Reassurance
Emily Oster is an economics professor at the University of Chicago who recently published her take on pregnancy, Expecting Better. In the promotion of the book, along with drinking during pregnancy and bed rest, prenatal testing is one of the highlighted points where Oster's book promises to buck conventional wisdom. Continue Reading
August 29, 2013
What’s your view on prenatal testing for Down syndrome?
Researchers at Standford want to know what you think about prenatal testing for Down syndrome and other genetic conditions. Continue Reading
August 28, 2013
The Best Ethical Practices for Down Syndrome Prenatal Testing
The medical journal, Prenatal Diagnosis, published this year an article titled, "The Best Ethical Practices for Clinicians and Laboratories in the Provision of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing." Here are the highlights. Continue Reading
August 26, 2013
GONE: 150,000 fewer people with Down syndrome in the U.S.
The long-stated estimated number of people living with Down syndrome in the United States had been 400,000. This number has been reduced by almost 40 percent. Continue Reading
August 23, 2013
“Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you” about Down syndrome prenatal testing
As a companion piece to the HuffPostLive segment on Down syndrome prenatal testing (which I blogged about here), the Huffington Posts' Katherine Bindley reported on the concerns about adequate counseling. Let's look at some key quotes from that piece. Continue Reading
August 22, 2013
“Is that a man?”–HuffPostLive discusses prenatal testing for Down syndrome
Tuesday, HuffPostLive featured a discussion on prenatal testing for Down syndrome. You can watch the video at this link. Part of the discussion made me think of a very bizarre story from our past. Continue Reading
August 20, 2013
Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening is not the Holy Grail, and it’s wrong to call it that–Part 2 of 2
In yesterday's post, I covered why it is factually wrong to call Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) the "Holy Grail" of prenatal testing. Here's why it is ethically wrong to call it that. Continue Reading
August 19, 2013
Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening is not the Holy Grail of Prenatal Testing, and it’s wrong to call it that
Last week, I asked if Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) is the "Holy Grail" of prenatal testing? Here's Part I of why it's not and Part II will cover why it's wrong to call it that. Continue Reading
Recent Comments