As medical technology increases, new prenatal tests become available for expecting mothers to take advantage of. Some of these prenatal tests are optional while others are highly recommended by most medical professionals. Before the birth of your child, you are able to know if they have genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome, if there are risks of developing any other types of diseases and even what the gender of your baby is as early as 12 weeks by opting to have a simply blood test done. Paternity tests in UK regions can even be done while the child is still in the womb, letting you know who the birth father is before the baby arrives. Many of these prenatal tests can be done by simply drawing a vial or two of blood while others are a bit more complicated and require advanced medical procedures to be done in order to determine disabilities within the child. The risks associated with some of these tests may have you making tough calls on whether to have them done or not.

Deciding on Prenatal Tests

Prenatal tests can provide expecting parents with a lot of insight regarding the health of their child. In some cases, it can be great to know if your child has a genetic disorder before their birth so that you are able to prepare yourself for the situation. In other instances, some parents would rather not take the risk of having these tests performed and prefer to find out if their are any disabilities at the time of birth. Many tests from companies such as Sequenom Inc. and Illumina Inc. are becoming more routine which easily test for fetal DNA within the mothers bloodstream. Because these tests are performed by drawing blood, there is not much risk associated with them, making the tough decision to have them performed an easier one. While no tests are mandatory, it is the mothers decision on whether or not she would like to have certain tests performed during pregnancy.

Inaccurate Test Results

Although prenatal tests can be extremely helpful in determining diseases, disorders and illnesses, there are risks associated with the tests such as inaccurate results. Although receiving an inaccurate result is rare, it can happen and has resulted in potential abortions on babies that are actually completely healthy. Before opting to have a prenatal test performed, all parents should know the risk factors associated with receiving inaccurate results.

Risks Associated with Non-Routine Prenatal Tests

Non-routine tests that are more invasive such as amniocentesis can have many risks associated with it. In worst case scenarios, extracting fluid from the womb by inserting a 6-inch needle through the mothers stomach can result in miscarriages on otherwise healthy babies. Newer tests are slowly becoming available to receive the same results without this 1% risk associated with it. After having positive test results for genetic disorders on blood tests, many doctors recommend the invasive procedures. However, it is important to know that these prenatal tests can be declined if you come to the decision that they are not worth the risk.

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After receiving a paternity test in uk, Michelle likes to discuss topics associated with paternity testing and DNA testing. When she is not blogging, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and taking Yoga classes.