[Status of prenatal diagnosis in Switzerland]

In Swiss laboratories of Basel, Berne, Geneva, Lausanne, Locarno and Zurich 19'872 prenatal diagnosis were carried out from 1971 to 1983. The frequency of the tests carried out for the different indications and the numbers of the detected anomalies are presented. In 12'485 tests performed because of advanced maternal age (35 years and older) 241 chromosome anomalies were diagnosed with 125 trisomies 21 among them. In contrast, only 7 trisomies 21 were found in 5'225 samples from women below 35 years. Prevention of Down's syndrome was the prevalent motivation of 93 percent of the pregnant women. Approx. 42 percent of the Swiss women, 35 years and older, requested an amniocentesis in the course of the last few years. Remarkable progress was made in the ultrasound diagnosis of fetal malformations. Developments in the field of first trimester prenatal diagnosis and in the use of DNA technology for the diagnosis of monogenic defects are dealt with.