Noninvasive prenatal DNA test and its procedures

Noninvasive prenatal DNA Test (NIPT) or as popularly known as Noninvasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) is a modus operandi regulating the probability of a fetus to born with an undeniable genetic abnormality. A small snippet of DNA is analyzed in this testing. The fragment of DNA should be collected from the blood circulating in women at the time of pregnancy. Unlike other DNA samples which are found in the nucleus of the cell, these snippets are found freely floating and not within the boundaries of cells therefore they are called cell-free DNA (cfDNA). This DNA snippet contains approximately two hundred DNA building blocks or sometimes even fewer. These cells come to light when cells die off or get broken down and their contents as well as the DNA are emancipated in the blood.

A noninvasive Prenatal DNA test is distinctive in the paternity of that yet-to-be-born child. There are numerous sources from which the sample of the DNA can be collected for a Noninvasive Prenatal DNA paternity test like from the blood sample of the mother and from the cheeks of the alleged biological father using a sterile buccal swab. The procedure of the tests may or may not be dangerous. A woman who is carrying twins or triplets is not suggested a prenatal DNA test, if there is such a case a postnatal DNA test can be suggested by the doctor who is looking at the case.

Often, this test is used to gaze at any chromosomal abnormalities which could be a result of an extra or missing copy of a chromosome, via this test only additional or any other chromosomal disorders can also be checked, it is noninvasive in nature as it needs collecting of the blood only from the pregnant women and poses no threat to the fetus.