From the Wall Street Journal:
New prenatal testing technology is allowing doctors to get increasingly detailed information about the fetus during pregnancy, yet many conditions diagnosed prenatally are rare and poorly understood.

Most doctors have little genetics training and lack basic information about the conditions they might diagnose. As a result, more couples are facing agonizing pressure, anxiety and stress during pregnancy.

The Journal traces the story of Parker Carden (above), who was diagnosed with a rare and potentially fatal condition in utero two years ago. His mother, Jennifer Carden, resisted arguments by her husband and her doctors to terminate the pregnancy. It turns out that Parker does have a medical condition, but not the one that was prenatally diagnosed.

Already hospitalized three times, Parker’s medical odyssey has stretched the Cardens’ finances and put a huge strain on their relationship.

See also WSJ sidebar: More prenatal testing brings new worries

“We’re in the business of making diagnoses, not creating anxiety,” says Lisa Schafer, president and CEO of Signature Genomic Laboratories. “But the reality is that when you enter the world of medical science, you don’t always get clear results.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 9:23 am and is filed under abortion, genetics, prenatal diagnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.