CVS (chorionic villus sampling) is a test carried usually carried out between the 11th and 14th week of pregnancy, in which a few cells of the placenta are removed for biochemical or genetic testing. This is most commonly to check a fetus for conditions such as Down’s syndrome and other chromosomal or genetic disorders.
The parents of a child with serious disabilities caused by an inherited rare genetic condition who died shortly after birth are suing St George's Hospital, London for failing to test for and identify the condition before birth....
US researchers have for the first time sequenced the genome of a fetus using only a blood sample from the mother. It is hoped this new form of non-invasive sampling could allow doctors to screen for a range of genetic diseases prenatally, with minimal risk to the fetus...
A new prenatal test that can detect Down's syndrome by using a sample of the mother's blood was launched in twenty US cities last Monday....
An up-and-coming technology will soon allow genetic testing of a fetus with a simple maternal blood test early in the first trimester of the pregnancy by isolating cell-free fetal DNA in the mother's plasma. Currently, obtaining reliable diagnostic genetic information requires invasive testing with Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis. Both carry a risk of miscarriage and are performed between weeks 10 and 20 of the pregnancy...
A simple blood test for pregnant women can accurately predict the sex of a fetus at seven weeks, much earlier than conventional techniques, new research has found. A systematic review and meta-analysis examined the results of 57 earlier studies that included more than 6,500 pregnancies...
Women at risk of passing on mitochondrial disease to their children could use PGD to give birth to an unaffected child. The scientists at Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands claim their work has the potential to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases...
This documentary is a follow up of the BBC3 series 'Love Me Love My Face', which first introduced the public to Jono Lancaster, 26, who suffers from Treacher-Collins syndrome. It followed Jono and Laura as they explored the idea of starting a family, and the consequences of Jono's genetic condition...
New research suggests that Down's syndrome could be detected using genetic screening, avoiding the need for invasive detection procedures....
Scientists have scanned the entire DNA of an unborn child from the mother's blood sample for the first time to safely check for genetic disorders...
Renowned fertility expert Dr. Yury Verlinsky died from colon cancer at the age of 65 on 16th July 2009. He was famous for pioneering the development preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in the 90's, a technique which allows couples with a serious inherited disease in the family to screen their embryos against the condition. The technique has been used by families at risk of some 200 genetic disorders, including haemophilia, sickle cell anaemia, muscular dystrophy, Tay-Sachs disease, cystic...
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