New method cuts risk in testing foetus for abnormality

Several women who are considered to be at a risk of delivering a child with chromosomal abnormality, could opt for a less risky procedure. The Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening Test (NIPT) would help detect any abnormalities with just the samples of the mother’s blood.

According to doctors, NIPT could be a convenient option for mothers who are found to be at a high risk of having a child with chromosomal abnormalities. Conventional tests (invasive methods), they said, could up the risk of foetus getting aborted as Chorionic Villus Sampling (a test made in early pregnancy to detect congenital abnormalities in the foetus, in which a tissue sample is taken from the villi of the chorion) and Amniocenteses (which involves injecting into the mother’s womb to collect samples) are being done.