cover image Prenatal Tests-V887

Prenatal Tests-V887

Robin Blatt. Vintage Books USA, $9.95 (269pp) ISBN 978-0-394-75887-9

This book should be a boon to expectant parents and those who are planning to conceive. In clear, neutral language, Blatt, a genetics education coordinator for the state of Massachusetts, presents the prenatal tests currently available, giving detailed descriptions of the procedures involved, their risks and benefitsemotional as well as physicaland what they can and cannot determine about a fetus. Each chapter devoted to a particular test ends with a checklist that readers can utilize to make an informed decision about whether they want or need the test. Abortion procedures are also covered, and there are quotes from women sharing their experiences, both good and bad, with prenatal tests and abortions. Blatt is informative without being alarming, and though she enumerates specific birth defects, she also stresses that they are relatively rare and not necessarily catastrophic. Illustrations not seen by PW. (August)