Mums-to-be should insist they are offered an NHS screening test to check if their baby may have Down’s syndrome or other serious health problems, Antoinette Sandbach AM is urging.
The North Wales AM has campaigned for several years for a combined screening test to be available in Wales – similar to that presently available in England for pregnant women.
NHS trusts across Wales have now been told by the Welsh Government to bring in the new test, which has a greater chance of spotting potential problems, including chromosome problems and infections, at an earlier stage.
It involves specialised measurements plus a blood test during a scan when the woman is 11-14 weeks pregnant. If it highlights a strong probability, further tests are carried out, which run the risk of miscarriage. However, as the new test is more accurate, it means each year around 100 women won’t need to have the extra test.
Ms Sandbach said:
“I am glad that finally Welsh mums are getting the support they need. I have argued for several years that the combined screening test should be introduced across Wales.
“Mums in England have been having the test for years – something which should have been available on the NHS in Wales since 2008 has only been available privately.
“I underwent the test myself at Wrexham Maelor hospital – however because it wasn’t available on the NHS, I had to pay for it privately. That’s not an option that every new mum can take.
“I would urge that as soon as a woman discovers she is pregnant she should see her midwife as soon as possible and insist she is offered the test so she and her partner can make vitally important and emotionally difficult decisions about the pregnancy.”
Ms Sandbach added:
“I believe this new test with save NHS health trusts money, as fewer women will need to be recalled for the follow-up tests, and so run the risk of miscarriage. Also, it will help to pinpoint more accurately those babies likely to be born with health problems so the right support is offered to parents.”
Bookings for the current screening test, known as a quadruple test, cannot be taken until 15 weeks into the pregnancy, and the test might not take place until 18 weeks. Further blood tests – which can take an extra three weeks – are needed to discover if there is a high chance of problems, although these run the risk of miscarriage. The mum could be five months pregnant when she is faced with the decision of termination because of health problems.
Sonographers are now undergoing extra training on carrying out the new test. It includes taking a measurement of the nuchal translucency at the early pregnancy scan, at 11-14 weeks, plus a simple blood test.
Antenatal Screening Wales (ASW) – part of Public Health Wales – has written to GP and others to explain the new test.
It says that the new combined tests should be available from this July, and has told NHS health boards to work together to introduce it under their present budgets.
ASW says the benefits are that
- The combined screening test can be offered at the time of the early pregnancy scan
- The result will be available to the woman earlier in the pregnancy.
- An earlier diagnostic test will be offered to women.
- The average detection rate of the combined screening test is 85% for a screen positive rate of 2.5%. The present quadruple test has a detection rate of 75% for a screen positive rate of 3% at a cut off of 1 in 150.
- The reduction in the screen positive rate for combined screening means that fewer women (around 0.5 per cent of the women accepting the test) will be recalled and offered a diagnostic invasive test. Based on 20,000 women a year accepting the test, this would be around 100 fewer women a year offered an invasive test.
- The higher detection rate of combined screening means that there will be an increase in the number of affected pregnancies identified by the screening test (increase from around 75% to 85% of affected pregnancies).
