Cyprus Fetal DNA Test – Noninvasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT)

What is Fetal DNA Test?

Fetal DNA Test is an advanced screening test. It is conducted to detect chromosomal abnormality in the fetus in early pregnancy through maternal blood.

Some cells that belong to the fetus circulate in the prospective mother’s blood during pregnancy. “Fetal DNA” that is present in such cells and that is a genetic material of fetus can be isolated from maternal blood and tested. Isolated and analyzed DNA is called “cell-free fetal DNA”. Free Fetal DNA tests can reveal results as to abnormal number of chromosomes in cells. However, it should be kept in mind that this test is not a final diagnosis test but it is a screening test with high reliability.

When is Fetal DNA Test Conducted?

Free pieces of baby’s DNA start to circulate in maternal bloodstream as of week 5 of pregnancy. Density of cell-free fetal DNA pieces increases as pregnancy progresses and it becomes possible to conduct a test. Rate of cell-free pieces in bloodstream increases over 4%, which is the ideal rate, in the week 9 during singleton pregnancies and week 12 in twin pregnancies. One must wait for the ideal pregnancy week so that test can give an accurate result.

How is Test Conducted?

Fetal DNA Testinde amniyosentez dediğimiz karından su alma işlemine gerek kalmadan, sadece annenin kolundan alınan basit bir kan numunesi ile kromozom analizi yapılabilmektedir. Tüm genom, yeni nesil dizileme (YND) teknolojisinin kullanıldığı yöntem ile analiz edilir. Analiz sonucu elde edilen veriler çok özel işlemciler tarafından incelenir ve kromozom anomalileri tespit edilir.

How Long Does It Take for Testing Results?

Fetal DNA test takes 10 days for results.

What Does Fetal DNA Test Detect?

• Edwards syndrome (Trisomy 18)
• Down syndrome (Trisomy 21)
• Patau syndrome (Trisomy 21)
• Abnormalities that are related to sex chromosome (Turner Syndrome and Klinefelter Syndrome)
• Baby’s Gender

Who Can Take Fetal DNA Test?

• Pregnant women who are 35 years or older.
• Patients with history of trisomy in their previous pregnancies.
• Pregnant women with findings of abnormality during pregnancy care.
• All of the pregnant women who have completed their week 9 of pregnancy.
• Patients whose double, triple and quadruple screening tests showed risks.

Which Tests are Available in Our Center?

• NIPT
• PrenaTest
• Veracity

Are Fetal DNA Tests Reliable?

Fetal DNA Test is a suitable method, compared to amniocentesis method, for families who do not choose to risk losing the baby. As biochemical screening tests (dual test, triple test, quadruple test) are based on hormonal values, their capacity to detect Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) is low. As cell-free Fetal DNA Tests check cell pieces of fetus, their reliability is much higher. Thanks to the results with high precision, uncertainty that is related to your baby, which upsets and concerns us will be removed. Fetal DNA Tests reduced, significantly, the need for invasive procedures such as amniocentesis for many abnormalities, primarily Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21).

Fetal DNA tests are not sufficient alone for diagnosis. This test shows results by 99% accuracy for diagnosing genetic diseases. Its accuracy rates are 99% for Down syndrome, 97% for Trisomy 18 and 92% for Trisomy 13.