Since amniocentesis takes place at about 16 weeks of pregnancy, the delay means women having to make difficult choices at a very late stage. Researchers from Birmingham, UK, tested the new method on more than 2,000 women and found it correctly identified 30 Down's syndrome babies and 2,053 as healthy. But the new test is unlikely to replace totally the traditional laboratory methods - since they enable doctors to detect a range of chromosomal abnormalities apart from Down's Syndrome. Breast may not be best for the babies of women who smoke, a new study has revealed. The researchers examined levels of a chemical called cotinine, a by-product of nicotine, in the babies.
Researchers are in conflict about the safety of the latest test-tube baby treatment.
The astonishing techniques of the treatment, ICSI, involve injecting a single sperm into the heart of a human egg using a hair-thin needle. In The Lancet , researchers from Sydney, Australia, report on a study of nearly 90 ICSI children aged one year old. They claim their findings show a risk that ICSI babies may face delays in development. But their findings are contradicted by a report from Belgium, the country where ICSI originated. Their study of more than 200 ICSI children at the age of two found no indication of developmental problems.