Most babies are born healthy, but when a baby has a condition that is present from birth, it is called a congenital disorder. Congenital disorders can be inherited or caused by environmental factors and their impact on a child’s health and development can vary from mild to severe. A child with a congenital disorder may experience a disability or health problems throughout life. heriSome congenital disorders are:
cleft lip and cleft palate cerebral palsy Fragile X syndrome Down syndrome spina bifida cystic fibrosis heart conditions Testing for congenital disorders
Testing for congenital disorders can be performed from 10 weeks of pregnancy onwards. While many parents choose to have tests during pregnancy, it is not compulsory and some do not.
Screening tests are designed to identify babies who do not have a congenital disorder. If a screening test does not rule out your baby having a congenital disorder, the next step is to have a diagnostic test.
Diagnostic tests, such as ultrasound scans, blood tests, and sometimes urine tests, are designed to identify babies who do have a congenital disorder, and to find out what that disorder is.
However, it is not possible to test for all congenital disorders during pregnancy, and testing is not perfect.