Q&A: Has anyone got a “Prenatal DNA test” (before your child’s birth) OR “Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) Test”
Question by James m: Has anyone got a “Prenatal DNA test” (before your child’s birth) OR “Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) Test”
Prenatal (before your child’s birth) DNA testing:
Amniocentesis: This test is performed in the second trimester, anywhere from the 14th-20th weeks of pregnancy. During this procedure, the doctor uses ultrasound to guide a thin needle into your uterus, through your abdomen. The needle draws out a small amount of amniotic fluid, which is tested. Risks include a small chance of harming the baby and miscarriage. Other side effects may include cramping, leaking of amniotic fluid, and vaginal bleeding. A doctor’s consent is needed to do this procedure for paternity testing.
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS): This test consists of a thin needle or tube which a doctor inserts from the vagina, through the cervix, guided by an ultrasound, to obtain chorionic villi. Chorionic villi are little finger-like pieces of tissue attached to the wall of the uterus. The chorionic villi and the fetus come from the same fertilized egg, and have the same genetic makeup.
How much did it cost? Did you have any side effects and was the baby ok?
Here is the reason I want to do it!
Ok so I got put into a situation that really sucks. Let me give you guys a little history of me and this girl. We dated for 3 years, she cheated on me and we haven’t been dating for the past 2 years. I am 20 and she is 21. I live in California and she lives Michigan. So i go back to Michigan back in Oct and ran into her. We ended up having s*x 3 times…..1 time without a condom( I know I’m stupid for doing that). We haven’t talked since the other day and she tells me that she is pregnant and she doesn’t know who the dad is. Well finally the truth come out and she told me she has and had a boyfriend at the time. She’s been with him for a year. I just want to know if its mine Cause if its mine i want to be there throughout the experience. If its not mine i don’t want to waste my time and money when its not my responsibility.
Best answer:
Answer by ArielFelice P
Yes we did it, no don’t remember the cost. I wouldn’t do it again unless there was a pressing medical need to know, not just to determine parentage.
Add your own answer in the comments!
Genetic Testing ? A Setup for Discrimination?
Genetic Testing ? A Setup for Discrimination?
It’s hailed as “personalized medicine.” It’s genetic testing and the future is here.
Scientists look at it as the doorway to life-saving health care.
Most Americans are afraid it will be damning information that will rob them of insurance benefits and lead to economic disaster.
A Double-Edged Sword
We all have a genetic profile. Locked in our genes are clues to medical conditions we have inherited or may develop in the future. Unlocking those clues could help us treat or prevent disease before it even starts.
But as enticing as the idea is, there’s a dark side. Once you are diagnosed with a genetic predisposition for a particular disease, how do you protect that information? What if your employer or insurer finds out?
Technically you are protected by law. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was signed into law on May 21, 2008. But there have been cases of discrimination. Employers are increasingly hard-pressed to cover rising health care costs and some look for ways to screen out the employees most likely to get sick.
One instance involved the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. They were sued by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) for secretly testing the blood of employees who had filed worker’s compensation claims for carpal-tunnel syndrome. They were looking for a genetic cause for the symptoms. The case was settled out of court in 2002. (1)
Another instance involved Eddy Curry, who played center for the Chicago Bulls in 2005. When he refused a genetic test to see if he had a predisposition for a heart ailment, he was traded to the New York Knicks.
Curry’s attorney, Alan Milstein, said, “Think about what’s at stake here…as far as DNA testing, we’re just at the beginning of that universe. Pretty soon, though, we’ll know whether someone is predisposed to cancer, alcoholism, obesity, baldness and who knows what else. Hand that information to an employer,” he added, “and imagine the implications. If the NBA were to get away with it, what about everyone else in this country looking for a job.” (2)
The Genetic Underground
Many people who want to take advantage of genetic testing do so with their own money. Fearful of coming under scrutiny of insurers, they spend hundreds, even thousands on DNA testing. Then they swear their doctors to secrecy – or don’t confide the results to them at all.
Linda Vahdat, director of breast cancer research at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, estimates that 20% of her patients pay cash for DNA testing to avoid submitting insurance claims. Dr. Kenneth Offit, in the genetics service at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, says the same thing. He says that fear of discrimination is the number one reason people cancel their appointments. (3)
A woman who prefers to be known only as Mary has taken matters into her own hands. She had herself tested for hemochromatosis, a genetic condition in which the body retains too much iron. The usual treatment is to have a unit of blood removed twice a week. But since she isn’t even telling her doctor her results, she is planning to become a frequent blood donor. (4)
Federal Law Versus Insurance Fears
The EEOC includes genetic testing as a “disability” in the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide protection against discrimination, but this interpretation has not been tested in the courts. President Clinton banned genetic discrimination in the federal workplace by executive order in 2000.
The law also prohibits insurers who provide group coverage for more than 50 people from denying an applicant because of a health factor or genetic information. However, the insurer can restrict benefits or charge higher premiums. (5)
Insurers often deny that they require testing or ask prospective customers about genetic tests. Mohit Ghose, spokesperson for
Doing A Hair Test For Paternity
By Judy Wellsworth
In order to do a hair test for paternity, you need to have hair that still has the roots and follicles still attached. This means, taking strands from a brush will not work, you need to pull the hair from your head and look to make sure the hair follicles and roots come attached to the sample. In most cases of a paternity test, three to four strands of hair require submitting in order to do the DNA testing.
Hair test for paternity costs less than any other DNA testing and is just as reliable as any other form of testing. Genetic DNA paternity testing allows courts and individuals to confirm paternity of a child and the father or mother. These tests do hold up in court and do provide for accurate results. Most people use a clinical facility, but some receive a home test kit in the mail and send the sample out for testing.
Home DNA Test – What Would You Want to Know From a Home DNA Test?
What can be determined about your future or that of your children from a home DNA test? A lot. I knew from friends who were having babies in their forties that fetal genetic testing had really advanced. A simple non invasive test can determine very accurately the possibility of birth defects, the sex of the baby, and more. But I was shocked to find out that anyone who wants to pay for it can now order an at home DNA testing kit and find out their chance of getting a specific disease based on their personal genotype.
As if this weren’t enough, they will also provide (in percentage format) the chance of your unborn child inheriting this disease even if you don’t have it yet! Are the results conclusive? No. Do they predict with certainty that you will develop a specific disease or disorder later in life? No.