Even before a woman becomes pregnant, the parents-to-be wonder about the health of their future child. This natural concern is why prenatal screening for fetal disorders has attracted considerable attention over the past two decades or more. The interest is both professional and personal. The promise of foretelling the health of the developing baby puts new demands on laboratorians, clinicians, and patients alike. Laboratorians must be fully cognizant of the clinical implications of their screening service, clinicians must liaise with laboratories to provide accurate clinical information, and patients face new choices in the information that they can now receive about their pregnancy.