Pregnancy is often a joyous occasion, and expectant parents are eager to know if their child is healthy inside the womb. Some are also curious to know about the gender of the unborn child for it can help them prepare better for when the baby is born. To determine this, one can either go for a NIPT test to determine gender or a simple ultrasound. While these methods are highly accurate, no method is infallible.
To elaborate further, here are 2 scenarios where gender identification might not be very accurate:
Non-Invasive Test Before 10 Weeks
NIPT blood test basically involves taking a sample of the pregnant woman’s blood, which will have cell-free fetal DNA, that can help accurately determine the gender of the unborn child. The presence of the Y chromosome will indicate that the child is male, and its absence will indicate the opposite. While the accuracy of this test is more than 99 percent, it can still provide the wrong result if the blood sample is drawn before 10 weeks of pregnancy, as there might not be enough DNA markers in the mother’s blood to provide a conclusive result. However, with the sole exception of conducting the test very early on in the pregnancy, there is little to no margin for error with this procedure.
An Ultrasound
Compared to the NIPT test to determine gender, the accuracy of an ultrasound/sonogram falls around 95, meaning that is more prone to errors. This is due to the variety of factors that change the effectiveness of ultrasound, such as the trimester, the skill level of the sonographer, or how well the unborn child’s genitals are visible. A general rule of thumb is that it takes at least 15 weeks before genital differentiation can be seen in an ultrasound. However, it’s a common consensus among doctors that for the most accurate results, it's best to use this method for determining gender around weeks 18 to 22.
One of the leading prenatal labs in the country, Prenatal Genetics is run by highly proficient research scientists who are pioneers in the field of medical diagnostics. Furthermore, with a significant $100 price drop on our NIPT blood tests, it is now the best time to get the procedure done. For more details regarding collection, waiting time, and exact price break up according to geography, contact us today.
