The Steering Committee of the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences has published new guidelines for the "new prenatal test" that analyzes the blood of pregnant women to check for chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus.


By creating a collaborative system with the medical institutions that carry out the tests, pregnant women will be able to receive a sufficient support system.

"New prenatal test" = "NIPT" is a test that analyzes the blood of pregnant women to check for abnormalities in the chromosomes of the fetus, and it has been pointed out that it may lead to so-called "selection of life". Until now, the academic society has certified medical institutions that meet certain conditions.



However, as the number of medical institutions conducting tests without receiving certification is increasing and there are cases where sufficient counseling is not available, the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences has set up a steering committee created by the national government and specialized academic societies to consider new ways of proceeding. I have done it.

According to the published guidelines, the medical institutions that carry out the tests will have a full-time obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics doctors with abundant experience as regional core facilities, and a specialized outpatient clinic for genetics will be set up. It is said that examinations can be carried out by certifying facilities that meet the requirements and establishing a support system for pregnant women in cooperation with core facilities such as clinics where specialists are stationed.



In addition, the number of chromosomal abnormalities to be tested is the same as before, and there are only three, such as Down's syndrome. However, if the anxiety is not resolved, the decision-making of the person should be respected after providing sufficient information.



The Steering Committee plans to provide information on the website so that pregnant women can understand the test correctly in the future.