Chorionic Villus Sampling

 

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is a test done during early pregnancy that can find certain problems with your baby (fetus). Studies have linked CVS to birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life threatening.

 

 

Chorionic Villus Sampling - The DES of the 1990s?

Mothering Magazine

 

Along with the guilt comes anger.  Many mothers are furious that they were not fully informed about the experimental nature of the test and all the potential risks.  As a result, increasing numbers of mothers of CVS survivors with disabilities are filing lawsuits.  For these families, initiating a lawsuit is a way of seeking not only justice, but the financial assistance needed to help provide their children with long-term physical and emotional care.  In the words of Sybil Shainwald, former director of the National Women’s Health Network and a lawyer specializing in women’s health issues:  “Many of the women who had CVS and whose children were born with these disabilities have a good case.  I view the act of bringing a lawsuit as a warning to both women and physicians that this is not a procedure without dangers.  Not all women have been adequately informed about the full range of possible outcomes, and some doctors performing the test probably do not have the necessary expertise . . . I see nothing inherently wrong with prenatal genetic testing when used appropriately, but I don’t think that women can depend on their doctors protecting them.”