If you are pregnant, one of the questions you likely hear the most from friends, family or co-workers is whether your baby is a boy or a girl. In the past, you could not find out your baby's gender until birth. Today, however, there are various...
CVS is an acronym for chorionic villus sampling, a prenatal test in which tissue is taken from an expecting mother's placenta and examined to assess a developing baby's risk for certain genetic defects and chromosomal abnormalities. However,...
Finding out you are pregnant, especially with your first child, can be an exciting time filled with joy, wonder and apprehension. There is so much to learn, so much to do and so much to look forward to. Caring for yourself and ensuring the health...
When prenatal screening identifies features of a genetic syndrome or there is a family history of genetic disease, a woman's health care provider may suggest prenatal genetic testing. Baby's DNA, obtained by chorionic villus sampling--commonly...
A paternity test is used to examine the DNA of the mother, child and potential father to determine whether the man has fathered the child. Paternity testing is used if a woman has been with multiple men at the time of conception or to settle a...
CVS stands for chorionic villus sampling, which is a tissue test performed to detect and diagnose birth defects in unborn fetuses. If you're pregnant, your doctor might recommend a CVS if you have certain risk factors. Some potentially serious...
Many parents are anxious to find out the sex of their unborn baby, whether for making name and nursery theme choices easier, or just to satisfy curiosity. There are a few options to assist parents-to-be in determining the baby's gender before...
Choosing whether to learn the gender of your baby is an important decision for many expectant mothers and fathers. Although some prefer the element of surprise, an estimated 50 percent to 70 percent of parents-to-be decide to find out their baby's...
According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the first trimester of pregnancy consists of the 13 weeks after your last menstrual period. Typically, your first prenatal visit will occur between the 8th and 10th week of pregnancy to start your...
Parents once had to rely exclusively upon old wives tales regarding the size and shape of a mom-to-be's belly or her degree of morning sickness to give them clues to their unborn baby's gender. Modern science allows many parents to find out the...
Some parents still want to learn the sex of their baby the old fashioned way, by waiting until it arrives. Others are anxious to take advantage of modern technology to find out as soon as possible whether it's a boy or girl. How soon you can find...
If you're pregnant, prenatal testing may seem like a positive thing, a way to check your baby's health and find out whether you're having a boy or girl. While 97 percent of all prenatal tests deliver good news, according to the University of...
Parents often want reassurance that their child is normal before birth. Sometimes, they have specific concerns about genetic diseases that run in their families or that are related to advanced maternal age, such as Down syndrome. Fetal genetic...
Determining a baby's gender before birth only became possible during the last century with the development of ultrasound and chromosomal testing technology. While some take this technology for granted, others choose not to find out the gender of...
When you discover you are pregnant, one of your first curiosities may be the gender of your baby. There are many myths concerning how you can determine your baby's sex such as carrying the baby low in the abdomen indicates a boy, and slow-growing...
One of the biggest decisions facing parents-to-be is whether or not they will find out the sex of their baby. While many parents still wait until the baby's birth, you can now get an accurate prediction of the baby's sex through prenatal testing....
You don't have to wait for a child to arrive to establish who the father is--or isn't. The same DNA paternity testing used for children after they are born is available for fetuses in utero. The challenge is in getting a DNA sample from the fetus....
Having a baby brings many surprises, many of which cannot be known until your baby is born. One eagerly anticipated discovery is the gender of your child, which you may be able to find out during pregnancy. Once you know the sex of the baby, you...
If you would like to plan ahead during your pregnancy, you may wish to find out the sex of your unborn baby. Once you know the gender, you can buy appropriate clothing and items for the nursery. However, beware of old wives tales that state you...
For expectant parents, there are few things that are as exciting--or take as much patience--as waiting to find out what gender their baby will be. Regardless of whether you prefer a boy or girl, or would be equally thrilled with either, you...
Determining your child's paternity can be done a number of ways, and can be accomplished before birth, after birth, and even from home. It's a good idea to know who the baby's father is for legal, emotional and medical reasons. Paternity testing...
Klinefelter syndrome is a genetic disorder in which male babies are born with an extra X chromosome. There is no way to prevent the genetic abnormality from occurring, but awareness, early diagnosis and early treatment can help prevent some of the...
For Women Under 35: Triple Screen--This is a blood test that is done between 15 and 20 weeks. The test screens for Down syndrome and spina bifida, two common birth defects. The test is usually covered by insurance, and the results usually return...
When prenatal screening identifies features of a genetic syndrome or there is a family history of genetic disease, a woman's health care provider may suggest prenatal genetic testing. Highly accurate, prenatal genetic testing can diagnose a baby's...
In today's litigious world, the paternity test to determine the identity of a baby's father has become a very important legal tool. Paternity tests, all-important in many situations for unmarried parents, can be the basis of determining a father's...
Paternity testing is the process of defining who the father of a child is. Paternity testing can be done both before and after the birth of a child, and has become an essential part of determining child support issues, inheritance and other social...
A multiple pregnancy is defined by the March of Dimes as carrying more than one baby at the same time. Most pregnancies in the United States are singletons, with only one baby in utero. Approximately 3 percent of American births are multiple...
