What is used for?
A cfDNA screening is most often used to show if your unborn baby has an increased risk for one of the following chromosome disorders:
Down syndrome (trisomy 21)
Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18)
Patau syndrome (trisomy 13)
The screening may also be used to:
Determine a baby's gender (sex). This may be done if an ultrasound shows that a baby's genitals are not clearly male or female. This may be caused by a disorder of the sex chromosomes.
Check Rh blood type. Rh is a protein found on red blood cells. If you have the protein, you are considered Rh positive. If you don't, you are Rh negative. If you are Rh negative and your unborn baby is Rh positive, your body's immune system may attack your baby's blood cells. If you find out you are Rh negative early in pregnancy, you can take medicines to protect your baby from dangerous complications.
A cfDNA screening can be done as early as the 10th week of pregnancy.
