Prenatal screening for Down's syndrome in Henan province

Objective To investigate the situation of prenatal screening in Henan province in 2012 and to provide a basis for the popularity of prenatal screening.Methods Data were collected from a population-based maternal and child health surveillance system.The data included 1 657 257 pregnant women receiving prenatal screening in 2012 at 2 637 qualified childbirth health institutions and reviewed by trained and licensed health care providers.Results The total number(rate)of prenatal screening in Henan province was 344 583(20.79%),with a higher rate in urban areas(34.81%)than in rural areas(15.87%).The rate of high-risk for Down syndrome for the pregmnant women of whole province was 5.73%,with a higher rate in urban areas(7.11%)than in rural areas(4.67%) and obvious different rates among 18 cities.The medical institutions at different administrative levels reported different prenatal screening rate and high-risk rate for Down's syndrome for the pregnant women.Conclusion Prenatal screening rate of Henan province is lower than the national average level.The prenatal screening rate and high-risk rate for Down's syndrome in urban areas are significantly higher than those in rural areas.The prenatal screening rate correlates to regional average gross domestic product,health cecre level and the ratio of urban population.