Should pregnant women over the age of 35 have amniocentesis to check for birth defects and chromosomal abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome? In an opinion paper published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Canada, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada recommends that maternal age should only factor into a decision about amniocentesis when a woman is over 40.

• Dr. Philip Wyatt, MD, PhD Chief of Genetics at North York General Hospital