Down screening urged for all pregnant women

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From CNN:

There's a big change coming for pregnant women: Down syndrome testing no longer hinges on age 35.This week, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists begins recommending that every pregnant woman, regardless of age, be offered a choice of tests for this common birth defect.

The main reason: Tests far less invasive than the long-used amniocentesis are now widely available, some that can tell in the first trimester the risk of a fetus having Down syndrome or other chromosomal defects.

It's a change that promises to decrease unnecessary amnios -- giving mothers-to-be peace of mind without the ordeal -- while also detecting Down syndrome in moms who otherwise would have gone unchecked.