Re: Boston Globe Profiles New Home Test That Allows Pregnant Women To Determine Sex of Fetus
From: art fougner, md (evsono@pipeline.com)
Wed Jun 29 11:54:10 2005
Anna
what this may portend is a rush of folks to get earlier terminations for
the presence of the second X chromosome.
art
At Wed, 29 Jun 2005, Anna Meenan, MD wrote:
>
>Has anyone studied the accuracy of this test? Anyway, why spend $250
>when you can just pester your doc to order ultrasounds until you can
>tell the sex of the baby (at the expense of your insurance company or
>Public Aid).
>
>--
> Anna Meenan, MD
>
>At Wed, 29 Jun 2005, φΉ@?wart fougner, md wrote:
>>
>>.
>>
>>Boston Globe Profiles New Home Test That Allows Pregnant Women To Determine Sex
>>of Fetus
>>
>>Access this story and related links online:
>>
>>http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=31035
>>
>>The Boston Globe on Monday profiled a test launched earlier this month that
>>allows pregnant women in the United States to determine the sex of their fetus
>>as early as five weeks gestation. The $25 Baby Gender Mentor test, marketed by
>>Mommy's Thinkin' and available exclusively at pregnancystore.com, includes a
>>finger prick kit for pregnant women to collect a blood specimen. Women then can
>>send the blood sample to a laboratory based in Lowell, Mass., which analyzes
>>fetal DNA in the pregnant woman's blood for an additional charge of $250. Lab
>>technicians test the blood for the presence of a Y chromosome, which would
>>indicate the fetus is male, or the absence of the chromosome in the case of a
>>female fetus. The pregnant woman receives the test results in two to three
>>days. Although the test is aimed at "the type of woman who can't wait to open
>>Christmas presents," some ethicists and physicians are concerned the new test
>>could lead to sex-selective abortion, especially among cultures that favor male
>>children, according to the Globe. Most pregnant women have the opportunity to
>>learn the sex of their fetus during a routine ultrasound around 16 weeks
>>gestation, though the results are not 100% accurate (Goldberg, Boston Globe,
>>6/27).
>>
>>Dean Huffman
>
--
art fougner, md
"If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else."
Lawrence Peter Berra
