How thick is the neck is a fold, how much blood flows through the heart, is it a Boy or a girl? Even before the birth won’t know the end of a lot of parents about their child. The investigations for the early detection of you in front of difficult questions: do we Want to know whether our child with a disability to the world? And if so, can we imagine to get it?
In the future, a blood test can include Trisomies in pregnancy Prevention. The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), in the funds, Doctors and hospitals, decide together which therapies to pay for the health insurance and what not, decided on Thursday that the Test is “in justified individual cases” of the health insurance is paid.
Already some days before the official decision, were the first information from the body through.
What you need to know parents now:
What are the prenatal blood tests can?
In the blood of a Pregnant woman, genetic information of the unborn child to circulate. Special blood tests can tell this track and the probability to predict that a child with a particular disability comes to the world. The accuracy is according to the manufacturer, at 99 percent. Specifically, relates to the:
- Trisomy 21 (down syndrome): the Case Concerned the 21 comes. Chromosome or parts of it three times instead of only twice. This manifests itself in various physical and mental impairments, which may vary from person to person greatly.
- Trisomy 18 (Edwards’s syndrome): Similar to trisomy 21, a chromosome is trisomy 18, three-fold, however, the age of 18., not the 21. In contrast to trisomy 21 in the affected children are not usually capable of. So far, only very few cases are documented in which the Affected is the youth of old age reached.
- Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome): a trisomy 13 leads to organic malformations. Most of the children die before birth or few days after.
- Failure distributions of the X and Y sex chromosomes: In General, women have two X chromosomes and men an X and a Y chromosome. This distribution, however, can occur abnormalities. While Turner syndrome females have only one functional X-chromosome. Possible also three X chromosomes (Triple X), a X – and two Y chromosomes (XYY syndrome), or two X and one Y chromosome (Klinefelter) are.
- DiGeorge syndrome (22q11.2 micro-deletion): The chromosomal Defect occurs at an early stage of embryonic development and can manifest itself in very different ways. Some of the children develop, for example, is delayed, or show a mental retardation, many of them have a heart defect. The degree of impairment varies greatly.
Who can make the Tests?
In General, all Pregnant women can take the Test from the tenth week of pregnancy, even after artificial insemination or during a twin pregnancy. Blood collection usually takes over the woman doctor or a woman doctor. If not, can patients to a specialist or a specialized center for prenatal diagnosis, transfer. The sample is then analyzed in a laboratory.
When will pay the funds to the Test yet?
The Praena-Test for trisomy 21 costs according to non-binding manufacturer’s recommended price of 129 euros. The Unborn should be checked on all the anomalies, the cost is 299 euros. At launch, parents had to pay even more than a thousand euros. Meanwhile, there are also other blood tests, such as Harmony or Panorama.
In individual cases, private and statutory health insurance companies accept already now the cost of the Test. The attending Physician or the physician must substantiate in writing why the Test is medically useful. Reasons for this may be, for example, if the ultrasound is suspected, the child might have a trisomy.
In the Video: “You are not close to us, to get the child”
As was decided by the Federal Committee?
The blood test will be, in individual cases, Fund performance, “if in the scope of medical prenatal care, the question arises whether there is a fetal trisomy may be, and this is for the Pregnant woman in an undue burden. The aim is, in this Situation, as with an invasive examination associated risk of miscarriage suspend”, the G-BA. If a finding is present, the do a more invasive examination, an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling is required, do not take cash on the cost of the blood test.
The G-BA had asked prior to the decision, the policy to clarify the ethical questions of principle. For example, starting from which week of pregnancy the Test will be paid.
What speaks against a cost?
Blood tests are free of charge, threatens the number of abortions to increase, fear critics. If people with down syndrome are increasingly perceived as avoidable, could put the parents under pressure to opt for an abortion. In Denmark, only half as many children came with down syndrome to the world, after the blood had become a test for Fund performance.