Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis: public and patient perceptions.

The possibility of the application of reliable non-invasive prenatal diagnosis to clinical practice, and its likely availability as a tool for routine antenatal screening, is an important and exciting development that will be of interest to women and couples - especially where there is a known risk arising from family history, or some other source, of having a baby with a serious, disabling or life-limiting condition. Managing the introduction of this new technology will require attention to the understanding and perceptions of women, couples and the wider society, as well as to the clinical, scientific, technical and logistic issues that will inevitably arise.