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Patient Education Movies From Dr. DeVore

What You Should Know About THE CALIFORNIA PRENATAL SCREENING PROGRAM - 2009 (22 minutes)

1st-Trimester Screening for Down Syndrome: The Fully Integrated Test (16 minutes)

Genetic Amniocentesis: Should You Consider This Test? (12 minutes)

Genetic Ultrasound: Should You Consider This Test? (15 minutes)

Healthy Baby

Every parent desires a healthy child. The task of motherhood is both challenging and rewarding. The purpose of this web site is to assist you in the understanding of the various types of tests that have been developed to evaluate the health of your unborn baby. Recently, the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program stated, "One in every 33 babies is born with birth defects-- the leading cause of infant death and childhood disability." There are many questions patients often ask when considering the health of their unborn baby. This web site will attempt to address many of these issues.

Organization of the Web Site

This site is divided into several areas. The first section reviews Dr. DeVore's training and qualifications as a consultant for obstetricians in the greater Los Angeles area. You may find the section In the News informative, as it contains reports and interviews from various television programs regarding Dr. DeVore's expertise in Fetal Medicine, especially as it relates to prenatal diagnosis and treatment of high-risk pregnancies.

The next section contains a detailed review of current technologies designed to screen for Down syndrome, as well as other birth defects. This section provides options for patients who are at high-risk for this problem, but are unsure if they would like to undergo invasive testing. It is also useful for women who are not at high-risk for Down syndrome, but would like to be reassured that their risk for this and other problems is low.

The last section reviews the use of ultrasound for detecting additional birth defects or other fetal problems, other than Down syndrome, for which almost all patients are at risk.

Medical Information Supported by Studies

This website contains information that is based upon studies from the medical literature. This is important, since the decision making process regarding which test(s) a pregnant woman may elect to undergo should be based upon scientific studies. Each women seeking information regarding prenatal diagnosis should be aware of (1) which tests are available, (2) what each test attempts to accomplish, and (3) the questions she should ask physicians offering these studies.

Assistance Determining Which Ultrasound Study is For You

One final point to consider is that the prenatal detection of birth defects and other fetal problems is dependent upon the skill and expertise of the physician performing and/or interpreting the ultrasound examination. Therefore, this website to assist you in your decision making process as to which ultrsaound study best meet your needs regarding the evaluation of the health of your unborn baby.