How to Do DNA Testing during Pregnancy?


dna-test-during-pregnancyDNA testing during pregnancy discloses so much information which the child will have once it is born. It is possible to uncover the clues and together with the information which is extracted when a DNA test is in the course of pregnancy. Technological advancement has made it possible for DNA testing during pregnancy.

DNA testing during pregnancy is done to test the DNA of an unborn child. Some of the several reasons why a test for DNA of an unborn child may at times be required is to test the paternity of the unborn child. Some other reasons are such as testing the DNA of the child for any genetically inherited diseases and abnormalities. DNA testing during pregnancy can be done when it is ten to twenty four weeks old after the conception. Sample collection as a form of DNA testing varies according to the age of the baby developing.

If the pregnancy lies between ten to thirteen weeks of age after conception, then the method which will be used for DNA testing sample collection is the chorionic villus sampling. The doctor in the procedure insert a fine tube which is guided using ultrasound or thin needle into a womb through the cervix and vagina to get the sample for the chorionic villi. The obtained sample will afterwards be tested and then analyzed.

If the pregnancy is between fourteen and twenty four weeks the collection method for the sample of the baby will be amniocentesis. The procedure involves the insertion of a needle to a womb. The needle, in the procedure is guided through ultrasound and then inserted through the abdomen to get a little amount of the amniotic fluid. The DNA test for the child is done on the fluid sample.

If the pregnancy is more than twenty for weeks old, there is a higher risk that the baby may be damaged as the testing sample is being collected. Therefore, doctors recommend that you wait until the baby has been born before the test can be carried out. After the baby is born, there are a number of methods which can be used to get a sample of the baby. When the paternity of a child is in doubt or if you need to be totally sure of whom the father of the child is, a DNA test is the only way for you to negate or confirm the doubts that you may be harboring.

If the DNA test of the unborn baby is being done for the sole purpose of determining the paternity of the baby, doctors do not recommend that the test be done before the birth of the baby. This is mainly due to the fact that the two sample collection methods are a posing risk to the baby. If you stay put until the baby has been born, the samples can be collected without them having any risk to the child. Despite the fact that DNA testing during pregnancy can take place, you should be able to weigh the dangers involved together with the benefits just before you make up your mind on whether you want to go on with the testing or not.

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