Screening for Down syndrome

National policy recommends that all women should be offered screening for Down syndrome during pregnancy. Only in the last 10 years has there been any concerted effort to standardize this screening which was haphazard and geographically determined before this. A variety of screening methods have evolved, with a steady improvement in detection rate and concomitant reduction in the screen positive rate. Significant resources are required to translate exciting research into an effective and workable screening test, and the evolution of Down syndrome screening under the supervision of the UK National Screening Committee illustrates this well.