There are fewer children born with Down's syndrome today than 20 years ago. This is evident in a new report from the National Board of Health and Welfare.
The number of abortions with foetuses with some form of chromosomal abnormality, such as Down's syndrome, has almost doubled over the past 20 years.
Karin Källén, professor of reproductive epidemiology at Lund University and investigator at the National Board of Health and Welfare, tells Dagens Nyheter that more chromosomal abnormalities are being detected as prenatal diagnosis improves.
And then more people choose to terminate their pregnancy, she says.
The report further reveals that Swedish women are now having children later in life than before, which increases the risk of Down's syndrome in foetuses. The number of children with Down's syndrome was therefore expected to increase, but that is not the case. Since 2007, there has instead been a confirmed decrease in the number of children born with Down's syndrome.
