To add another dimension to this discussion, it is something of a myth that age 35 was chosen as the cut-off for offering amniocentesis in the 1970s and early 1980s because at age 35 the procedure-related miscarriage rate less than the risk of having a child with aneuploidy. Although procedure-related complications were part of the discussion, the primary reason why age 35 was chosen is that several studies demonstrated an economic cost-benefit. Simply put, by age 35, it saved money to pay for amniocentesis rather than for the care of people with Down syndrome. These studies were conducted by academic and clinical researchers, not by health insurers. Indeed, no study on amniocentesis safety at that time ever found the (mythical?) 0.5% miscarriage rate so commonly quoted. To shamelessly self-promote my own obscure publications, see Resta R. Medicina nei Secoli 2002;14(3):793-811 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.g...).