If no-one in my family has had Down's syndrome, does this mean that my risk of having a Down's baby is low?

No. Down's syndrome is trisomy 21, which means an extra chromosome 21. Most trisomy 21 babies are born to mothers who have no family history of Down's. This is known as non-dysjunction trisomy 21 and occurs at conception, when the sperm and egg meet and the series of chromosome changes that happen as a result of this as the embryo develops into a ball of cells; the risk of this happening increases with age. Only a very small proportion of trisomy 21 babies are born to women where there is a family history of the condition, usually because of a rare situation, almost always already known to the parents, called a chromosome translocation which is carried through the family line.

How likely is it that my baby will have Down''s syndrome?

The risk of having a baby with Down''s syndrome is related to your age, although parents of any age can have a Down''s child. It is not related to how many children you have had, whether you have a new partner, or to drugs that you might have taken at or around the time of conception.

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If no-one in my family has had Down's syndrome, does this mean that my risk of having a Down's baby is low?

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If no-one in my family has had Down's syndrome, does this mean that my risk of having a Down's baby is low?

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