Trisomy 21: the video that makes the buzz with 2.5 million views

It’s the buzz of the week! The video “Dear future mom” has been viewed over 2.5 million times in just 8 days. Posted on YouTube on March 13, she presents 15 people with Down’s syndrome who talk about the normal life of a sick child. The Italian association behind this little film wanted to respond to the concerns of a pregnant woman with a baby with Down’s syndrome. She wondered: “What life will my child have?” ”

The Down Syndrome Patient Support Association, CoorDown (Coordinamento Nazionale Associazioni delle persone con sindrome di Down), replied by interposed video. Young people with Down’s syndrome talk about their everyday life: school, work, travel, family time … but also the difficulties, due to illness or the simple fact of having a child. “They all have the right to be happy,” concludes the association.

Watch the video from CoorDown:

This video was produced on the occasion of World Down Syndrome Day, which was held on March 21, at the initiative of a dozen associations in Europe.

Prenatal screening

Down’s syndrome is a birth defect, manifested by the presence of a third chromosome on the 21^e pair. It is the leading cause of mental deficit of genetic origin in France. Prenatal screening is systematically offered to pregnant women between the 11th^e and the 14^e week of amenorrhea. This screening takes several parameters into account: ultrasound analysis of the nuchal translucency (a liquid pocket temporarily present in the fetal neck), serum markers and maternal age. When the risk is high, doctors suggest that the pregnant woman make a diagnosis, either by biopsy or by amniocentesis. If it is positive, women can choose to keep the child or medically terminate the pregnancy (IMG). In the case of trisomy 21, an IMG is possible at any time as soon as the diagnosis is made. In 2010, 95% of pregnant women decided to terminate their pregnancy after discovering the illness of their child.