What is fetal sex detection in maternal blood?
Fetal sex detection from maternal blood is a non-invasive prenatal test that, from a blood test of the mother, allows to know the sex of the fetus and in turn to detect and identify common chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome or genetic diseases linked to gender, such as hemophilia.
The test is non-invasive, so it does not put either the mother or the fetus at risk. It has a reliability rate of close to 100%, and can tell whether the fetus is a girl or a boy at around eight weeks of pregnancy.
It is a test that has recently become very popular in gynecology and obstetrics clinics, especially in high-risk pregnancies. This test is also known as the non-invasive test for chromosomal abnormalities.
What does the fetal sex detection test in maternal blood consist of?
First of all, in order to be able to perform the test as such, it is necessary that a blood test has been performed on the mother. Once the maternal blood has been tested and obtained, the free fetal DNA present in the maternal plasma is analyzed.
The mother’s blood is tested for the presence of the SRY gene – present on the chromosome but only in the male – and the DYS14 gene, which is a Y chromosome-specific gene.
Why is the fetal sex detection test performed in maternal blood?
The detection of fetal DNA through the mother’s blood is used especially in those parents who have a family history of chromosomal abnormalities.
This is a non-invasive test whose implementation or not will be the decision of the gynecologist.
This test is not indicated in cases of multiple gestation or when the fetal age is less than eight weeks gestation.
In the maternal blood there is genetic information about the child being gestated.
Preparation for fetal sex screening test in maternal blood
No special preparation is necessary, but simply the necessary conditions must be met in order to perform the test, such as that the gestation is not a multiple pregnancy and that the fetal age of eight weeks has been exceeded.
The patient will only undergo a blood test, so the preparation should be similar to that of a conventional blood test.
What does the fetal sex test in maternal blood feel like?
The test consists of a blood test, so the patient may feel some discomfort at the time of the prick or after the test is completed.
Significance of the results of the maternal blood fetal sex detection test
The results can be obtained only ten to fifteen days after the test has been performed.
With the test, it is possible to know if the baby will suffer from any of the following pathologies:
- Down syndrome: this is the most common alteration, it is associated with intellectual disability and can cause congenital cardiac and digestive malformations.
- Patau’s syndrome: severe congenital heart defects that make it difficult to survive for more than one year.
- Edwards syndrome: this is a rare disorder, and is associated with congenital heart problems.
- Sex chromosome abnormalities