When is the best time to perform non-invasive DNA testing?
Disease description:
Recently, I want to have a non-invasive DNA test and would like to ask the doctor: at what week is the best time to undergo non-invasive DNA testing?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
It is recommended that pregnant women undergo non-invasive DNA testing between the 12th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy.
Non-invasive DNA testing, commonly referred to as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), assesses the risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Patau syndrome by analyzing fetal cell-free DNA in the mother's blood. Compared with traditional invasive procedures like amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, non-invasive DNA testing is safer and does not increase the risk of miscarriage.
If the test is performed too early, for example before the 12th week of pregnancy, the fetus is still relatively small and the amount of placental cell-free DNA fragments in the mother's blood may be insufficient, potentially leading to inaccurate test results. If the test is performed too late, for example after the 22nd week of pregnancy, although non-invasive DNA testing can still be conducted, if abnormalities are detected, further diagnostic tests such as amniocentesis may be required, which could increase the risks for both the mother and the fetus.
Therefore, it is recommended that pregnant women undergo non-invasive DNA testing between the 12th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy.
