Comparing a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Based Analysis for Gender Determination in Early Stage of Pregnancy versus Sonography

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate two genes as candidates for fetal sex determination by PCR from blood samples during the first trimester of pregnancy and then contrast the results with the sonography in the second trimester. Study Design: In the present work we evaluated blood from 70 women between 7 to 12 weeks of gestation. DNA extraction was done using a commercial kit. Two Y-chromosome DNA sequences were selected as targets for PCR reactions. The results obtained were compared with two sonographies during 12 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. The gender of the baby was confirmed after birth. Results and Conclusions: The PCR test designed in this work allowed us to determine with 98.5% accuracy the sex of the fetus among the women in the first weeks of pregnancy. The interference of the sex predicted was found with multifetal pregnancy. This non-invasive technique for fetal sex determination can be applied on a regular basis during the first trimester of gestation as early and precise as a regular sonography. Keywords Prenatal; PCR test; Sex fetal diagnose; Non-invasive Materials and Methods Sample collection and plasma separation Ten ml of peripheral blood from 70 pregnant women between 7 and 12 weeks of gestation was collected in tubes with 0.5 M EDTA. All volunteer participants signed a consent form prior to the extraction of blood and participation in this study. To assess possible interferences J o ur nal o f M e d ic al Dia g n o s ti c Method s