If you’re expecting, you will have considered the question of what your baby’s sex is. There are numerous ways you can do this through a variety of testing methods, but so far, the most non-invasive methods remain the most popular. Of these, there are ultrasounds and fetal DNA testing through testing the mother’s blood. In today’s blog, we will compare these two types of non-invasive gender tests.

Ultrasounds

Ultrasounds have been around for decades. There are invasive forms of ultrasounds, such as the transvaginal ultrasound, but today we will be talking about the traditional, non-invasive ultrasounds. They are usually performed between the 18th and 22nd week of pregnancy and are a relatively simple procedure. The expecting mother lies on an examination bed and a special gel is applied to the abdomen. The gel is necessary in order to help the soundwaves from the ultrasound travel properly.

Then, the technician will begin the ultrasounding procedure, capturing images of the fetus. Simple as this procedure may be, it is not always effective at determining sex. Ultrasounds are known for inaccurate sex predictions, or just simply failing because the baby was not in the right position. The expecting mother will then have to return for another appointment, or wait till her due date to find out.

Non-invasive Fetal DNA testing

Not many people are familiar with how non-invasive fetal DNA testing works, even though it is a very popular option due to its much higher accuracy. Firstly, it is important to remember that there are invasive forms of fetal DNA testing, which are called amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).

For those procedures, the physician will have to obtain fetal DNA by using a needle to extract it from the placenta. Obviously, this is invasive and can even cause complications. Miscarriage is a risk with procedures like these. At Prenatal Genetics Center, we provide non-invasive testing that simply collects a blood sample from the mother. The mother only needs to be 10 weeks along for fetal DNA to be present in her blood stream.

With this scientific innovation and our decades of experience being a leading genetics center in Toronto, we hope to bring a satisfactory experience that puts the mother and baby’s health first. In fact, Prenatal Genetics Center was the first center to offer non-invasive gender testing to the public. We do all this at low prices because we believe in being more accessible to parents.

If you are looking to get a DNA test, get in touch with us!