One of the most critical as well as crucial phases of a woman’s life is pregnancy. It is a very delicate phase. Both the mother and father of the baby should take care of each other as well as of the growing baby. In many cases, the recommendations of the doctor to the couple regarding various tests and check-ups are ignored by them. But this is not the most ideal thing to do. Many doctors also recommend that the couples should take the NIPT test to determine any kind of chromosomal disorders that the baby might have. But because some people don’t want to pay the NIPT Test Cost,they end up ignoring the recommendation and later regret the decision.
NIPT stands for Non-Invasive Prenatal Test. This test is meant for the unborn child. This test determines the rate at which the foetus is progressing and checks for any sort of chromosomal disorders in the baby. Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, and Trisomy 21 are some of the most common disorders that are detected by carrying out this test. Read on to know more about this test and the benefits of getting itdone.
How is this test done?
To effectively identify any sort of chromosomal abnormalities in the unborn baby, the mother’s blood must consist of sufficient foetal cell-free DNA. The amount of cell-free DNA present in the mother’s blood that is obtained from the placenta is referred to as foetal fraction. The percent of foetal fraction required for a successful detection is around 4 percent. This amount of foetal fraction is found in women who are at least ten weeks pregnant. If the levels of the foetal fraction are low in the mother’s blood, then the test cannot be performed; even if the test is conducted the result will not be completely reliable.
For successful determination of chromosomal aneuploidy, the most frequently used method includes counting all cell-free DNA fragments of both the mother and the foetus. In case the amount of cell-free DNA from each of the chromosomes is as expected then it can be said that the result was negative, meaning the baby does not have any chromosomal condition. But if the percentage is more than what was expected then there are high chances of the unborn child having a chromosomal condition. In case of a positive test result, the mother might have to undergo more tests to confirm the condition.
What are the benefits of the NIPT test?
The NIPT test provides you with numerous benefits that can include the following.
- Accuracy:
The NIPT is a medical test that is regarded as one of the most accurate in the world. In some cases, the blood tests may not give accurate results, but that is not the case with NIPT. This test provides you with almost 99 percent accuracy. If your NIPT test results comenegative, then you can be sure that the foetus does not have any chromosomal condition. And if the results are positive, you can consult your family doctor and decide on the futurecourse to take.
- Vision:
This test provides you with a vision for the future. With NIPT, the couple gets an opportunity to detect any sort of chromosomal issue with their baby. If in case the doctors detect any sort of disorder in the unborn child, they will be able to take actions in the future regarding the same. If the parents are unwilling to give birth to the baby, then they can go for abortion and if they want to have the baby, then they can go for medications soon after the birth of the child.
- Blood type and gender:
Although the revelation of the gender of the baby is illegal in some countries, the NIPT automatically reveals the gender as well as the blood type of the unborn baby. Both these pieces of information are very crucial in order to know about the chromosomal composition of the unborn child would be. Because this test is not much affordable, the chances of someone misusing this test for the purpose of gender revelation are relatively less.
- Detection:
The Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening Test enables doctors to identify different types of chromosomal disorders. It enables the detection of not only common disorders such as Cerebral Palsy, Edward’s Syndrome, Down Syndrome but also disorders like Turner Syndrome and Klinefelter Syndrome.
Why is NIPT considered non-invasive?
This test is considered to be non-invasive because in this test blood from only the pregnant mother is required and hence, does not pose any threat or risk to the unborn child. This test can help you in finding out whether the risk of having some conditions is decreased or increased.
The health of the pregnant mother can easily be monitored with the help of some medical tests, but the same becomes quite complex when it comes to the foetus. This is when the NIPT can come to the rescue of many expecting parents. This test is comparatively safer as it does not cause any harm to the child while also providing information about any potential disorders.
