Amniocentesis is a test that has been employed by experts since long to diagnose and search for any condition (if any) that the baby in the womb is suffering from. Amniocentesis also provides a great detail about the development of the baby and its sex. It is done by examining the amniotic fluid of the pregnant mother.
This might look like a very useful test a pregnant women can make use of however there is always the danger of miscarriage attached to this amniocentesis. So, to develop a non-invasive test, researchers were working on new methods from a long time. Finally researchers’ experiments have borne fruits and now it seems that the risks of infections, complications and miscarriages can be kept at bay.
Apparently, scientists have found a non-invasive prenatal test that can be used to detect the Down Syndrome in unborn babies. The research was conducted by Stephen Quake and his colleagues from Stanford University in California. And the new test is just a simple blood test. Taking the blood samples will help scientists do the genetic test which can be further used to determine other birth defects.
Downs Syndrome is a birth defect that can cause cognitive, physical and appearance defects in the baby. The new test can also detect syndromes like the Edwards syndrome and Patau syndrome. The research was conducted on 10,000 women.