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February 2015 Moms
EdenAurora
member
Clarification regarding the cell-free fetal DNA testing
EdenAurora
member
There are many different types of tests that use cell-free fetal DNA from maternal blood serum. Some are fairly inexpensive out-of-pocket and some are very expensive. The different tests look for different things and have many different names.
There are tests that look exclusively for the y chromosome and nothing else. These tests are typically not covered by insurance but only cost around $100 out-of-pocket. They can be ordered through a doctor's office or online. As others have pointed out there are many reasons someone would want to know the sex of their baby early on, some medical or personal.
There are tests that look at cell-free fetal DNA to look for certain chromosomal abnormalities. They have different names such as materniT21, Harmony, and Panorama. Some insurance carriers cover these tests, others do not. Some plans will cover only AMA patients or those with previous history of chromosomal abnormalities. I know that if your insurance company will not cover materniT21 you can contact Sequenom and they will reduce the cost to around $200 out-of-pocket.
These tests are an amazing advancement in medical technology. In order for these tests to become a standard they need to be used in a real world environment. This is why despite the $2,000-4,000 cost for the tests, the actual labs that created and perform the tests will lower the cost for the patient. The more tests that are done the more likely insurance companies are to accept these as a standard of care for all maternal ages. That is why Sequenom adjusts the costs. It is to their advantage to have people utilize their tests even if it is at a loss initially.
I hope that clears things up a little bit. Someone posting about maternal DNA blood tests for sex determination might actually be asking about the $99 out-of-pocket test that looks exclusively for the y chromosome. Some doctor's offices do offer this. And, honestly there's nothing wrong with this.
Of course they could be talking about the materniT21 or panorama but they are more excited at the prospect of finding out the sex of their baby than finding out if it has a chromosomal abnormality. That doesn't make them a horrible person IMHO.
I'm 37 and will be having the materniT21 test next week. I'll admit, I am excited to find out the sex of this baby. Yes, I could wait until 20 weeks like I did with my other three children but I focus on that brightside of the test that could very well give me devastating news that the baby I have been carrying for the last 10 weeks has a chromosomal abnormality that is incompatible with life.
There are tests that look exclusively for the y chromosome and nothing else. These tests are typically not covered by insurance but only cost around $100 out-of-pocket. They can be ordered through a doctor's office or online. As others have pointed out there are many reasons someone would want to know the sex of their baby early on, some medical or personal.
There are tests that look at cell-free fetal DNA to look for certain chromosomal abnormalities. They have different names such as materniT21, Harmony, and Panorama. Some insurance carriers cover these tests, others do not. Some plans will cover only AMA patients or those with previous history of chromosomal abnormalities. I know that if your insurance company will not cover materniT21 you can contact Sequenom and they will reduce the cost to around $200 out-of-pocket.
These tests are an amazing advancement in medical technology. In order for these tests to become a standard they need to be used in a real world environment. This is why despite the $2,000-4,000 cost for the tests, the actual labs that created and perform the tests will lower the cost for the patient. The more tests that are done the more likely insurance companies are to accept these as a standard of care for all maternal ages. That is why Sequenom adjusts the costs. It is to their advantage to have people utilize their tests even if it is at a loss initially.
I hope that clears things up a little bit. Someone posting about maternal DNA blood tests for sex determination might actually be asking about the $99 out-of-pocket test that looks exclusively for the y chromosome. Some doctor's offices do offer this. And, honestly there's nothing wrong with this.
Of course they could be talking about the materniT21 or panorama but they are more excited at the prospect of finding out the sex of their baby than finding out if it has a chromosomal abnormality. That doesn't make them a horrible person IMHO.
I'm 37 and will be having the materniT21 test next week. I'll admit, I am excited to find out the sex of this baby. Yes, I could wait until 20 weeks like I did with my other three children but I focus on that brightside of the test that could very well give me devastating news that the baby I have been carrying for the last 10 weeks has a chromosomal abnormality that is incompatible with life.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Clarification regarding the cell-free fetal DNA testing
Waited a long time, tried a lot of stuff, science made me a mom.
F15 December Siggy Challenge:
That's fine if genetic screening is offered for cheaply, so it becomes mainstream and covered by insurance.
I would never support a blood test to test exclusively for a Y chromosome be covered by insurance ever (although I live in Canada, so it's kind of a moot point for me).
Of course, this is a sensitive subject for me. I live in an area with a high immigrant population, and there are places in our Province where they won't tell you what sex you're having because there are prevalent cultures here that value boys over girls and will abort female fetuses.
I absolutely see no reason to need to know at 12 weeks or prior what sex your child is.
Monster Truck (It's a GIRL!) is due 19/02/2015!
Waited a long time, tried a lot of stuff, science made me a mom.
Married August 2009
BFP#1 12/19/13 * EDD 8/24/14 * MMC Discovered 2/04/14
BFP#2 5/27/14 * EDD 2/8/15 * Please be our rainbow
We will all encounter something online that we disagree with at some point in time. That's what makes the Internet so diverse and interesting. Of course it's much more fun when someone backs up their opinion with facts and information rather than just emphasizing their opinion.
I've been active on Internet message boards since 1995. It's taken some time but I've mellowed out a bit. I used to get fired up about all sorts of things. Now I just accepted the great, big diverse world we live in. Though I do like to share information that I've come across in my research of many different issues.