Smear tests at five weeks’ pregnant ‘detect genetic disorders earlier than current tests’
A NEW study has found smear tests carried out as early as five weeks into a pregnancy could detect genetic disorders.
Currently, genetic disorders screenings are more invasive, and can't be performed until between the ninth and 12th week of pregnancy.
However, a smear test simply involves taking a small sample of cells from the cervix - and researchers believe they could help doctors diagnose and treat babies with genetic disorders.
According to the researchers, whose findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine today, detecting such disorders early means treatment can in some cases begin before birth.
An example of this could be a baby with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which affects the adrenal glands and can be life-threatening, reports.
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During the study of 20 women, researchers collected cells from the placenta inside the reproductive tract, which contains the fetus' DNA. Usually, such material is collected directly from the placenta or the surrounding fluid - a procedure which carries a small risk of foetal loss.
When researchers tested the cells, they found they could identify and analyse "detailed genomic profiles" of the fetuses - which would allow them to diagnose any genetic disorders.
Speaking to Live Science, Dr. Jennifer Wu, of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and who was not involved in the study, said: "If you can look at the whole genome as early as five weeks, it is kind of amazing."
However, she warned more research is needed to see if this testing method is successful in a larger sample of women. Only then could it become a mainstream means of testing for genetic disorders.