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Home Testing to Determine Fetus' Sex

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).