Overview

Down's syndrome, also known as Down syndrome or trisomy 21, is a condition you're born with. Most people who have Down's syndrome lead healthy and fulfilled lives. Everyone born with Down's syndrome will have some level of learning disability, but this will be different for each person.

Title
Down's syndrome

Causes

Down's syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome in a baby's cells.

In most cases, this is not inherited – it's simply the result of a one-off genetic change in the sperm or egg.

There's a small chance of having a child with Down's syndrome with any pregnancy, but the likelihood increases with the age of the mother.

For example, a woman who's 20 has about a 1 in 1,500 chance of having a baby with Down's, while a woman who's 40 has a 1 in 100 chance.

There's no evidence that anything done before or during pregnancy increases or decreases the chance of having a child with Down's syndrome.

Diagnosis

Sometimes parents find out their baby has Down's syndrome during pregnancy because of screening tests.

All pregnant women are offered screening tests for Down's syndrome.

Screening tests cannot tell you for certain if your baby has Down's syndrome, but they can tell you how likely it is.

If screening tests show there's a chance your baby has Down's syndrome, you can, if you wish, have further tests to find out for certain if your baby has the condition.

These include:

  • Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) – a small sample of the placenta is tested, usually during weeks 11 to 14 of pregnancy
  • Amniocentesis – a sample of amniotic fluid is tested, usually during weeks 15 to 20 of pregnancy

If these tests show that your baby has Down's syndrome, you and your baby's other parent will be offered counselling so you can talk about what this means.

You may also be offered an appointment to meet a doctor or other health professional who works with children with Down's syndrome.

They can tell you more about the condition and answer any questions you have.

Living with

There's support available to help children and adults with Down's syndrome lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

This includes:

  • Access to good healthcare – including a range of different specialists
  • Support for your child's development – this may include speech and language therapy and physiotherapy
  • Organisations like the down's syndrome association, who provide information and support, and can also put you in touch with other families who have a child with down's syndrome

Lots of people with Down's syndrome are able to go to mainstream schools, leave home, have relationships, work and lead largely independent lives.