How do people get Down syndrome? Down syndrome is typically caused by what is called nondisjunction. If a pair of number 21 chromosomes fails to separate during the formation of an egg (or sperm), this is referred to as nondisjunction. When that egg unites with a normal sperm to form an embryo, that embryo ends up with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the normal two. The extra chromosome is then copied in every cell of the baby's body. Interestingly, nondisjunction events seem to occur more frequently in older women. This may explain why the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome is greater among mothers age 35 and older. In rare cases Down syndrome is caused by a Robertsonian translocation, which occurs when the long arm of chromosome 21 breaks off and attaches to another chromosome at the centromere. The carrier of such a translocation will not have Down syndrome, but can produce children with Down syndrome.