Crisis of trust hits popularity of prenatal genetic tests

Pregnant women wary of screening after rash of 'false-negative' results. Yang Wanli reports.

Noninvasive prenatal testing, which can detect Down syndrome and other chromosomal conditions by checking a sample of the mother's blood, has been used in Western countries for many years without controversy.

In China, NIPT, as it is known, was piloted in 2015, and official permission for its clinical use nationwide was granted the following year. Now, though, the test is facing a crisis of trust.