The Jaina Doctrine of Karma And The Science Of Genetics: Early Dignosis And Treatment - Prenatal Diagnosis

Amniocontesis in early pregnancy (about 14-16 weeks) has now made it possible for prenatal diagnosis of conditions associated with chromosomal anomalies (e.g. Down's syndrom); many inborn errors of metabolism (e.g. Tay-sach disease, galactosemia, Maple syrup urine disease, Alpha thalassemia and neural tube defects). The indications for prenatal diagnosis are listed in following table:

Indications for prenatal diagnosis^[51]

S. No.	Indications
a.	Advanced Maternal age, previous child with chromosome aberration, intrauterine	Cytogenetics (amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling)
b.	Biochemical disorders	Protein essay, DNA diagnosis
c.	Congenital anomaly	Sonography, Foetoscopy
d.	Screening for neural tube defects and trisomy	Maternal serium alpha-fetoprotein, and chorionic gonadotropin