health

It is possible that the increasing numbers of women having children in
their thirties or forties will lead to an increase in the number of children
born with Edwards syndrome. Many women whose fetuses are diagnosed
with the syndrome choose to end their pregnancies before childbirth.
A newer option is the perinatal hospice (see sidebar), a special type of
hospital program where parents who know that their baby has a fatal
condition can choose to have the baby and remain with it during the
baby’s few days of life.
In addition to perinatal hospice programs, there are also online support
groups for parents of children with Edwards syndrome and other
rare genetic disorders.