THE Pap smear test, widely used to screen for cervical cancer, is being modified to create a safe prenatal test for genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome. If it turns out to be reliable and affordable, it could lead to a massive increase in prenatal screening.
With existing invasive screening methods, there is a small risk of triggering miscarriages, so usually only those women at high risk of having a child with a genetic disorder opt for tests. But most children with genetic disorders are born to women who were considered to be at low risk.
A safe test, however,…
