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Stubbornness and a refusal to co-operate may be a signal from the individual that they do not fully understand what is expected of them. The best way to help someone is to try and find out from him or her what the problem is. Both women and men with Down's syndrome can be fertile, although both sexes have a reduced fertility rate. They therefore need advice on, and access to, contraception. Some people with learning disabilities can successfully parent their children, given the right support. Where one parent has Down's syndrome, there is a 35% to 50% chance that the child would inherit the syndrome. This chance is even higher where both parents have Down's syndrome.
Women with Down's syndrome are also more likely than other women to have a premature baby, or to need a cesarian section. Down's syndrome affects people of all races and social classes, in all countries of the world. In 1959 Professor Jérome Lejeune proved that Down's syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality. There is no way of predicting whether a person is more or less likely to make and egg or sperm with 24 chromosomes. However, 80% of babies with Down's syndrome are born to women under the age of 35, as younger women have higher fertility rates.
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