Pregnant Scots will be routinely tested for two other conditions alongside Down's syndrome under new screening rules

Scots mums-to-be will be routinely tested for two other conditions alongside Down's syndrome under new screening rules.

NHS Scotland will be changing the National Pregnancy Screening Programme from September 28 September, following a recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee.

As a result expectant mothers will be offered testing for Edwards syndrome and Patau's syndrome as well as the current testing for Down's syndrome.

Figures show West Dunbartonshire tops the table for teen pregnancies in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area (PA)

All three conditions are chromosome-related and can be detected early in pregnancy and from this month, all Scots mothers will be offered:

* testing for Edwards' syndrome (T18) and Patau's syndrome (T13) as an additional option within the existing first-line blood screening test for Down's syndrome (T21) which will happen during a woman’s first trimester of pregnancy.

*Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) will be offered as a second-line screening test for 'high-risk' pregnancies which are identified as being at a higher chance of the baby having one of the three conditions.

*Screening programmes for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome will also be expanded to include twin pregnancies.

Will the tests will be made available to all expectant mothers, they are not obliged to take them.

A surgeon sitting in front of screens of a Focal One device performs a robot-assisted prostate tumorectomy using ultrasound imaging (Getty)

At the 12 weeks scan appointment pregnant women will be offered the Combined Ultrasound and Biochemical Screening (CUBS) and will have 4 choices

1- Screening for T21, T18 & T132

2 - Screening for T 21 only

3- Screening for T18 & T13 only

4- Decline screening

The screenings are already offered to pregnant women in England and Wales, but have not been offered in Scotland so far.