Earlier screening of severe conditions during pregnancy recommended

New recommendations have been made to introduce earlier screening to test babies for Edward's syndrome and Patau's syndrome during pregnancy.

The UK National Screening Committee has made the proposal in order to improve detection rates for these serious abnormalities, also known as Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13.

Affecting around two out of every 10,000 births in the UK each year, the conditions result in fatalities among most infants before or shortly after birth. They can be detected through a scan that is currently offered to all women between 18 and 20 weeks of pregnancy in England.

However, it is thought that earlier testing – combining a blood test and scan during the woman's first trimester of pregnancy – can make it easier to identify whether the mother has an increased risk of having a baby with one of these conditions.

Dr Anne Mackie, director of programmes for the UK National Screening Committee, said: "This recommendation would give women access to support and enable them to make important choices at an earlier stage of their pregnancy."

This comes after the NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening programme was expanded to include four new genetic disorders earlier this year to further improve detection of conditions affecting infants and new mothers.