Fetal DNA Testing in Maternal Blood

At 10 weeks Gestation & Gender Determination

In recent years, a new type of screening test has been developed: the prenatal screening test for fetal DNA in maternal blood. This test isolates the fetus’s DNA (genetic material) directly in the mother’s blood. This DNA is then analyzed in the laboratory for the most accurate screening profile available. The recent discovery of the presence of fetal genetic material in maternal blood has offered new approaches to non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPS).

Given the relatively easy identification of X and Y DNA from fetal cells in maternal blood, a clinical application is the non-invasive identification of fetal gender. This is a curiosity application for the parents who would like to know the gender of the baby.

Analysis of DNA from fetal cells in maternal blood samples is a screening test that is a non-invasive prenatal procedure and poses no risks to the mother or the fetus.

This DNA identity baby gender test is relatively inexpensive (approximately $300 as of April 2021) in comparison to invasive techniques such as CVS or amniocentesis.

Fetal DNA is a NIPS test that provides valuable insight into fetal chromosome health and can help avoid the risk of a miscarriage associated with invasive diagnostic prenatal procedures, such as an amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling (CVS).

It is appropriate as early as 10 weeks into the pregnancy and uses only one tube of maternal blood. As discussed earlier fetal DNA testing also allows for gender determination.