Dr. Sara Teichholtz, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C., was early in her pregnancy when she took a routine prenatal test to check for chromosomal abnormalities in her developing baby.

So, Teichholtz, 35 at the time, was surprised to get results suggesting there could be something very serious going on with her own body.

The test, a cell-free DNA test , uses a sample of the mother's blood to screen for certain conditions in the developing fetus that are caused by chromosomal abnormalities. It's now a standard part of care for certain high-risk groups of pregnant people, including those ages 35 and older.

"All of my routine labs, anything that a doctor would test normally during pregnancy or a general physical, all of that was perfect," Teichholtz, now 38, tells TODAY.com.

But because

See Full Page