A new blood test could screen for Down's syndrome while the mother is still in the early stages of pregnancy.
The DNA screening could replace more-invasive tests, and would allow the mother to make a choice on whether to get an abortion or prepare for the baby's condition, the Associated Press reported.
"It offers women a safe and accurate alternative [for screening]", study leader, Dr. Diana Bianchi, of Tufts Medical Center told the AP.
The test could be conducted when the fetus is between nine and 10 weeks old, which is weeks sooner than most methods.
In the test medical researchers sequence the mother's DNA from the placenta and "map them" to a number of chromosomes.
Several companies are already selling these blood tests; the screenings work to lower the number of women who undergo more invasive screening processes such as biopsies, which run a small risk of miscarriage.
The test could be an option for women with certain risk factors such as those over 35 years old or who have received and abnormal ultrasound or blood work.
Jennifer Fontaine's prenatal screening suggested her fetus had Edwards syndrome, which can lead to stillbirth or childhood mortality.
'It was devastating, absolutely heartbreaking to think this is what I might be going through,'' Fontaine told the Associated Press.
''I wanted to exhaust my options [before risking an amniocentesis]", she said. ''If something had happened during the procedure it would have just killed me.''
A safer DNA test accurately predicted that her daughter (who is now a healthy two-month-old) would not be affected by the condition.
Doctor's are observing how effective this test is in the early stages of pregnancy.
''Cost is a huge factor,'' Doctor Susan Klugman, director of reproductive genetics at Montefiore Medical Center, told the AP.
Four companies currently sell the test for between $1,200 to $2,700.
