Maternal serum screening for Down syndrome: are women's perceptions changing?

To document trends in serum screening for Down's syndrome.

Trends in the uptake of serum screening for Down syndrome have not been documented in a UK population.

A retrospective review of the rate of uptake in a unit that has offered serum screening for Down syndrome to all pregnant women.

A large north of England hospital that has offered universal Down syndrome screening using the 'triple test' since 1992.

A total of 47,998 women who booked for antenatal care.

Uptake of serum screening for Down syndrome.

The results of the screening programme were contemporaneously recorded on a computer database, and the study team accessed the data.

There was a significant reduction in the uptake of serum screening for Down syndrome from a maximum of 82.6% in 1993 to 41.4% in 2005. There was a significant but small trend upwards in the age of women accepting screening and also a significant trend in the increase in the screen-positive rates.

The reduction in uptake of Down syndrome screening over the past 13 years must be taken into account when planning a screening programme. Other units should be encouraged to review their rate of uptake to determine if our data are representative of a wider trend.