Birth defects

Some birth defects can be diagnosed before birth through ultrasound, amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Most women have blood tests to screen for their risk of having a baby with a specific birth defect, such as Down syndrome and spina bifida. While it does not usually lead to a cure for the baby's birth defect, prenatal diagnosis can prepare the parents emotionally and help them prepare for a child with a birth defect.

In other cases a birth defect is diagnosed after birth through physical examination or a blood test that screens for several disorders in newborns.