Why Inclusion of NIPTs is Key to Unlock Equal Maternity Rights for Working Women By IBTimes Staff Reporter 04/27/20 AT 7:45 PM Did you know? Each year, 13,000 women receive a false-positive result when testing for genetic abnormalities. Photo: ndss.org It is estimated that each year in the United States, about 171,000 pregnant women will receive a faulty prenatal screening test. Of these, about 4% (6,672 cases) receive an incorrect low-risk result providing false assurance to the mother, whereas the remaining 96% (164,916 cases) would receive an incorrect high-risk result, driving unnecessary anxiety. In real terms, this means that every day, 18 mothers will discover that their newborn is affected by a genetic issue, such as Down syndrome, on the day of delivery, instead of the early stages of pregnancy. Infants with challenging genetic conditions such as Down syndrome should be delivered at a tertiary center for optimal care, instead of a community hospital, and families lose this option by not learning early. On the flip side, each day, 451 additional pregnant mothers will unnecessarily be put through the anxiety of a baby in the womb at risk, forced to a specialist referral, where they are recommended invasive procedures that can pose the risk of real harm to the unborn child.