A pregnant woman may decide to take a prenatal DNA test and cannot wait until the baby is born for some reason. The most common reason mothers are requesting this test be done in prenatal labs is to determine paternity. In addition to this purpose, prenatal tests are also done to find out the medical condition of the baby and look for any potential problems that can adversely impact the health of the baby.
If you are also concerned about those aspects, then you need to know some important factors about different DNA tests. Here are some questions that you also most likely have in mind.
Where to get a prenatal DNA test?
Noninvasive DNA tests during pregnancy are available at most prenatal labs. You can check out the recommended laboratories that are accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). They most likely have met the high standards for DNA testing performance.
How much does a DNA test cost?
The cost of a DNA test varies depending on the specific test being done and the prenatal labs testing technologies. To give a basis for comparison of costs, non-invasive DNA tests are more expensive than invasive ones. It ranges from over a thousand to around two thousand dollars, depending on how fast you need the results.
How accurate are prenatal DNA tests?
Since these tests are looking at the genetic level, their results often show very high accuracy of at most 99.9%. Hence, they are very precise and can definitely tell whether the nominated father is the real biological parent of the baby.
Are prenatal DNA tests safe?
Noninvasive prenatal DNA tests are regarded to be completely safe for both the pregnant mother and her baby. The mother does not have to undergo invasive and risky procedures in prenatal labs and blood samples or saliva are already enough.
Prenatal DNA tests can help parents get answers to their important questions while the mother is still pregnant. But remember to consider your options and speak to your health care provider about which option best suits your goals.
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