Down Syndrome increases as mothers get older

The number of diagnoses of Down Syndrome has increased as mothers leave having babies to an older age.

A study published in the British Medical Journal by lead author Professor Joan Morris, finds  that more research is needed to find out why 30 per cent of older women are not being tested for the risk of babies with Down Syndrome.

when a women reaches 40 year old they are 16 times more likely to have a baby with the condition than a mother at 25 years of age.

“It is important to ascertain whether the decision is an informed one and, if not, to address the lack of information,” she says.

The number of babies born with Down Syndrome has increased by three quarters between 1898 and 2008 due to the increase in numbers of older mothers.