Performed Through prenatal testing, you can learn much about your child before it is even born, such as whether your child is a boy or a girl. You also may want to know the risk of genetic abnormalities that could impact the mental and physical development of your child.
Prenatal testing is used to diagnose abnormalities in the fetus.
In every pregnancy, there is a slight chance that the fetus may have an extra, missing or rearranged chromosome. Many times, if there is an extra or missing chromosome, the pregnancy miscarries naturally because your body knows that normal development cannot take place. In fact, an estimated 90 percent of chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus result in miscarriage. Ultrasound uses sound waves to create an image of the developing fetus. The triple screen or multiple marker tests measure the level of critical fetal proteins in the mother s peripheral blood.