Down Low about Down syndrome and Prenatal Genetic Testing

Lauren Maynor
Mentor: Dr. James Campbell
Word Count: 221

Down syndrome is when an individual is born with three 21st chromosomes, also known as
Trisomy 21. Today a mother is able to undergo a variety of different test to determine the
likelihood that her child has Down syndrome before the child is even born. Research implies
that screening test and diagnostic test can be beneficial to providing doctors and expecting
mothers with insight to the possibility of having a child with Down syndrome. Also it can be
confirmed that while there are a variety of different test to choose from, no one test is the best
because each doctor recommendation is unique to a mother and her values (Messerlian, 2018).
This topic is important because understanding what Down syndrome is and the prenatal testing
options provides a pregnant woman with powerful knowledge about what to do next in her
pregnancy. The goal of this research is to spread awareness about Down syndrome and the
different prenatal genetic testing options available. By creating an e-portfolio website the aim is
to display relevant, new research related to genetic testing and Down syndrome, as well as,
spread awareness about the condition. Through the sharing of information the hope is that
pregnant women and mothers will view the website and learn information about possible testing
options for them and background information about Down syndrome.