Reply #28: They have to give the drug just weeks into pregnancy.

[donco6]

Many bioethicists are opposed to this treatment.


Perhaps most controversially, prenatal dex must be given as soon as a woman learns she is pregnant, which is usually several weeks before genetic tests can determine if the fetus is in fact a female affected with CAH — the chance of which is 1 in 8 for parents who already have an affected child or know they are carriers of the genetic disorder. If the baby is healthy, treatment is stopped, but at that point, the fetus has been exposed to the steroid drug for weeks. There is no data on how many mothers receive prenatal dex, but according to the odds, 7 of 8 may be taking medication unnecessarily.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1996453,00.html#ixzz0sKRb7gza

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