All chose termination, after counselling. An appraisal of the consequences of the Harold Wood system for pregnant women and those who work in clinics is being conducted for the economic and social research council. Kevin Spencer, the consultant biochemist at Harold Wood, who developed the programme with specialists at King's College hospital, London, said conventional methods involved screening women about 16 weeks into their pregnancy, arranging further tests and possible termination at around 21 weeks. The alternative allowed screening at about 11 weeks and termination about a week later. Psychological trauma and potential risks to the mother are greater at 21 weeks.
Some women do refuse to be screened for religious, ethical or moral reasons.
They may decide that even if a baby is affected by Down's, as far as they are concerned, that is not a significant reason to have a termination. The programme, known as Oscar, the one-stop, counselling, assessment and risk clinic, was built on scientific and technological breakthroughs in the last decade. The first, involving specialists at Harold Wood, identified higher than usual levels of a compound called free beta HCG in the placenta as being associated with Down's. A second development, by researchers in Milan, identified another protein, pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, which was found in low quantities when there were potential disorders. Meanwhile researchers at King's College hospital found that the size of a fluid-filled area behind a foetus's neck in the womb could help to indicate chromosome problems.