The advances in medicine in recent decades in the field of prenatal diagnostics have enabled parents to have a detailed insight into how their baby is developing. Scientist Dennis Lo confirmed the presence of genetic material (cell-free DNA) in the mother's bloodstream in his scientific work as early as 1997, and since 2014, this method has been fully validated. Prenatal diagnostics have developed rapidly in recent years thanks to technology. Genetic and developmental disorders can be determined in early pregnancy using prenatal tests. The huge advantages of non-invasive prenatal tests have led to a revolution in genetic material analysis, as data on the presence of any abnormalities in the number and structure of the baby's chromosomes can be obtained using just one blood tube (blood sampling is done by standard method).
This method carries no risk for the mother or the baby, unlike invasive tests (CVS, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling) which carry a risk of about 0.5% chance of miscarriage. The NIPTiva test is performed by taking a small sample of venous blood from the mother's arm and sending it for analysis in a laboratory. Compared to traditional biochemical screening tests, the NIPTiva test provides a more thorough and detailed approach to the analysis of genetic anomalies. The accuracy rate is 99.9%. Our NIPTiva tests are actually the most modern and fastest version that is performed on the illumina platform.
The Importance of NIPTiva Prenatal Testing
Today, it can be said that non-invasive prenatal tests are used as an alternative to amniocentesis. Unlike amniocentesis, they are performed without any risk to the mother and baby. Results with a certainty of up to 99.9% indicate to future parents the existence of genetic diseases and chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus. It is important to note that NIPTiva tests can be done from the 10th week of pregnancy onwards. An important note for all future mothers and fathers is that these tests are screening tests, not diagnostic tests. Therefore, in the event of a positive result for a genetic anomaly, further testing must be done to confirm the result. When NIPT tests are performed, the baby's DNA isolated in the mother's blood is analyzed to identify genetic syndromes such as chromosomal trisomies, aneuploidies of fetal sex chromosomes, and microdeletions (structural) disorders on chromosomes. Chromosomes contain genetic information that tells our cells how to function, grow, and develop.
When everything is as it should be, the baby receives 1 set of 23 chromosomes from each parent, totaling 46. However, in some cases, the fetus has an excess or deficiency of genetic material. Changes in the number of chromosomes (monosomies and trisomies) are also called aneuploidies. Changes in the structure of the chromosomes themselves are structural changes and can be deletions, duplications, microdeletions, etc... All of these chromosomal abnormalities can have a major impact on the baby's health. Future mothers are increasingly opting for these non-invasive tests and such screening because it avoids invasive diagnostics in cases where it is unnecessary. Unlike tests that are also non-invasive and have long been in procedure, such as double or triple tests, NIPTiva tests provide totally accurate data regarding the genetic health of the baby. Moreover, you can get these results at an earlier stage of pregnancy, as early as the 10th week.
Every pregnant woman wants to have a peaceful pregnancy and to enjoy it to the fullest, which is why NIPTiva tests are really the right choice for both mother and baby.