[Preimplantation versus prenatal diagnosis--practice of prenatal diagnosis]

Both invasive and non-invasive prenatal medicinal procedures are well accepted in Germany. The health care system offers each pregnant woman a total of three sonographic examinations. Most of these examinations turn up normal findings, leading to the pregnancy being continued without fear. In the case of anomalies being detected, the findings may be life-saving for the mother or the foetus or reduce the severity of a neonatal disease. When a severe anomaly or a situation that is incompatible with postnatal life is detected, the pregnant woman may decide not to go through with the pregnancy. The latter state of affairs is the reason for 2% of all terminations of pregnancies. One of the aims of modern prenatal medicine is to provide information about whether a situation is normal or abnormal as soon as possible ("early anomaly scan", "nuchal translucency diagnostics"). In view of this background it is difficult to understand why the very small number of women with a high risk of a recurrence of severe anomalies diagnosable by PGD is not given access to this method but is forced to terminate their pregnancies in the event of an anomaly during their second trimester.