Blood test can tell fetal sex in early pregnancy

BLOOD TEST

A new study found that is safe to do a blood test in early pregnancy. This is highly accurate at determining the sex of the fetus. it supports using the test in cases where fetal sex is important in detecting or managing certain inherited medical conditions

Normally, parents who want to know the sex of their baby before it's born find out through ultrasound done in the second trimester.

                However, a blood test that can be done early in pregnancy is highly accurate at determining the sex of the fetus, a new study has found.The test is important, write the authors of the study, because in some cases, there are medical reasons to determine fetal sex earlier. This factor has traditionally meant invasive tests, like amniocentesis, which carry with it a small risk of miscarriage.

                Consequently, maternal blood tests that pick up certain markers of fetal sex have been developed and have been put into use in recent years.

                So far, research has shown that the accuracy of these tests vary widely, depending on the methods used.In this latest study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, researchers in the Netherlands found that the testing method used at their centre was 100% accurate in determining fetal sex among nearly 200 pregnant women.

               Part of what's new about the findings is that they show the effectiveness of blood testing as it is done in routine practice-and not just in the research setting, Ellen van der Schoot, of Sanquin Research Amsterdam, said. The study does not discuss costs, nor when the test might be available to the general public. Even though, the findings of the new study support using the tests in cases where fetal sex is important in detecting or managing certain inherited medical conditions.

              For example, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a genetic disorder that causes girls to develop abnormal external genitalia and male-like characteristics like a deep voice and excessive body hair. REUTERS