Detecting Fetal Cells
There are some companies that claim that they can perform non-invasive prenatal paternity testing. These tests can allegedly determine the paternity of an unborn baby very early in the pregnancy. Some companies claim the procedure can be done at 12 weeks into the pregnancy.
This type of testing is built around the discovery that a few fetal cells as well as fetal DNA could enter the mother's bloodstream during pregnancy. Studies are currently underway to determine the best methods of separating the fetal cells or DNA from the mother's blood, which can then be used in a paternity test.
Scientists and medical professionals identified two main concerns about the immediate applicability of current techniques to commercial paternity testing. According to Dr. B.W. Bianchi, a prenatal geneticist at Tufts University School of Medicine, fetal DNA does enter the mother's bloodstream, but it could linger there for up to 20 years. Fetal DNA lingering in the mother's blood stream after pregnancy would affect the results of prenatal paternity and gender testing.
Further, this type of non-invasive prenatal testing is based on the assumption that enough fetal cells can be routinely extracted from the mother's blood. However, there are no guarantees. The most recent studies have achieved success rates of only about 70%.
Pg. 1 >> Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity Testing
Pg. 2 >> Detecting Fetal Cells
Pg. 3 >> Accreditation Counts
Pg. 4 >> Options for Prenatal Paternity Testing
Pg. 5 >> Consider the Risks
Pg. 6 >> For More Information...
| 
