Week 9 Flashcards
What does WHO say about infertility as a disease?
“A disease of the reproductive system defined by failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse”
What are the main things the Wilkinson & Williams 2016 paper says about infertility as a disease?
If perceived as a disease, public funding for its treatment is construed as justified & what remains to be determined is its prioritization in relation to other required treatments competing for limited resources…if not, funding it may not be justified from the outset
Who is the legal father and mother in surrogacy?
- Legal mother= person who gave birth (legal change through parental orders/adoption)
- Legal father= genetic father
What does the Warnock & Brazier reports say about surrogacy?
- Brazier (1997) stated that agreements should continue to remain unenforceable
- Warnock (1984): “inconsistent with human dignity that a woman should use her uterus for financial profit”
What according to NHS Scotland (2013) are prenatal screening tests?
- Offered to all pregnant women to assess chance of baby having a particular health problem/disability
- Do NOT provide definitive diagnosis
What according to NHS Scotland (2013) are prenatal diagnostic tests?
- Follow-on tests carried out to find whether baby does have a particular condition
- Offered to “Higher-chance” result from screening
What are 5 reasons why you would carry out screening & testing?
- Reassure parents
- Inform & prepare parents for birth of an affected infant
- Allow in utero treatment, or delivery at a specialist centre for immediate postnatal treatment
- Allow termination of affected foetus
- Provide information so that parents may choose between 2,3,4. issue= choice
What are the 3 different types of screening & diagnostic testing for natural conception?
- Non-invasive ie. ultrasound, serum test, questionnaire
- Invasive prenatal dianostic (PND) testing ie. chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis (increased chance of miscarriage)
- NIPT/ NIPD
What is the screening & diagnostic test for in vitro fertilisation (IVF)?
- Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)
- (CRISPR if it was used)
What, when, why is ultrasound screening?
- WHAT: sound waves, painless, no risk
- WHEN: dating scan 12 weeks, anomaly scan 20 weeks
- WHY: anomaly, physical abnormalities ie. spina bifida
What is the ethical issues arising from ultrasound screening?
Everyone is offered anomaly scan, not everyone chooses to take it
What, when, why is a Down’s Syndrome screen?
- WHAT: combination of ultrasound & serum test
- WHEN: 10-13 weeks
- WHY: measures chance of DS, not a diagnostic test (can also detect Edward’s Syndrome T18)
What is the ethical issues arising from Down’s Syndrome screen?
- Risk (low v high)
- If greater than 1:150 then option to take diagnostic test (amniocentesis or CVS)
What does a serum test analyse?
- Markers in blood including:
- Pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A)
- Free beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (free beta-hCG)
How good is the “combined” screening test for Down’s Syndrome?
- False positives (2.2%): test abnormal, foetus not affected
- False negatives (16%): test normal, foetus affected
What is the Quadruple test for Down’s Syndrome?
- Used if women presents later (14 weeks 2days +)
- Blood test: alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), total human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), unconjugated oestriol, inhibin-A
- FN: 20%, FP 3.5%
What, when, why is the amniocentesis diagnostic test?
- WHAT: needle inserted through abdomen & into amniotic fluid
- WHEN: 15+ weeks
- WHY: previous pregnancy with fetal problems, family history, >35yrs, antenatal screening result suggests a problem
What 4 things is Amniocentesis used to test for?
- Down’s syndrome
- Other Chromosomal disorders
- Blood disorders (sickle cell)
- Genetic disorders (sex)
What are the ethical issues arising from amniocentesis?
- 0.5-1% risk of miscarriage (also, delay in getting results)
- Infection
- Injury
- FP 0.1-0.6%
- FN 0.6%
What, when, why is Chorionic villus sampling?
- WHAT: fine needle inserted through abdomen & into uterus, through cervix & small piece of developing placenta removed
- WHEN: 11 weeks
- WHY: tests inherited disorders (cystic fibrosis, sickle cell, thalassemias, muscular dystrophy) & chromosomal disorders (sex).
What are the ethical issues arising from chorionic villus sampling?
- 1-2% risk of miscarriage (delay in getting results)
- Infection
- Heavy bleeding
- FP 1-2%
- FN 2%
Give 6 examples of diseases for which DNA tests are available?
- Cystic fibrosis
- Phenylketonuria
- Tay-Sachs
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- Huntington’s disease
- Inherited breast & ovarian cancers
What is the recent development of non-invasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT)?
- Cell-free foetal DNA (DNA from placenta, v similar to DNA from foetus)
- Early use 9-10weeks
What are the positives of cell-free foetal DNA (NIPT)?
- Risk of chromosomal abnormalities with more accuracy than other non-invasive methods (invasive still required for definitive results)
- Definitive diagnosis of some conditions (cystic fibrosis, achrondroplasia)
- Determine gender