"How do I decide what to do?"

Aside from the necessary and routine health checks  -- blood and urine tests, blood pressure and weight gain monitoring  -- most prenatal testing is up to you, and no care provider should try to convince you otherwise, says Ormond. Couples need to consider their individual health histories, risk factors, personal and religious beliefs, and then try to come to their own consensus. "Couples sometimes have differing opinions on testing, so it's important for them to talk it through," she notes. An objective genetic counselor can help. (To find one near you, ask your health care provider or go to nsgc.org

Other factors that might prompt you to talk to a genetic counselor include your ethnic background (certain illnesses are more likely to occur in some ethnic groups), your age (the older you are, the greater your risk for a chromosomal disorder), your health, and any history of having miscarriages.

If your baby happens to have a birth defect or health issue, Halliday notes, knowing that early on can help you prepare. Your baby's chances may be improved by giving birth in a hospital with a good neonatal intensive care unit, for instance, and you can find a support group to help you get through the pregnancy and prepare for your life ahead. Couples who have had one child with a health problem often choose to undergo prenatal testing with the next, says Halliday, citing the surprise in the delivery room as the most traumatic part.

Another option is to talk with your care provider about less invasive ways of monitoring your baby. Karen West of River Forest, Illinois, had a first-trimester screen and loved it. "I was very confident about the findings  -- the nuchal translucency screen and blood test together are 90 percent accurate  -- and the chance of Down syndrome went from 1 in 1,750 to 1 in 3,800 after I had it. We all tend to worry about our unborn babies. Knowing early that everything was okay was wonderful and helped me relax much more." And isn't that exactly the reason prenatal testing was developed?

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