NHS needs to prepare for era of non-invasive fetal DNA tests

The NHS should take steps to respond to new types of fetal testing set to become increasingly available in the next few years, an expert group has recommended in a report published this week.

Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis uses cell-free fetal DNA that circulates in the mother’s blood during pregnancy. It can be used in several ways, including determination of fetal sex by detecting male Y chromosome DNA in fetuses at risk of a sex linked disease; diagnosing some single gene disorders; detection of an abnormal ratio of chromosomes, such as in Down’s syndrome; and determination of blood type in fetuses at risk of incompatibility, particularly the rhesus D …