Test Reveals Sex of Fetus at 6 Weeks!

In London a new test dubbed "Pink or Blue" promises to tell parents the sex of their fetus just six weeks into pregnancy, but critics question its reliability and say it could pose an array of ethical issues.

The British company DNA Worldwide launched the test last month for sale over the Internet targeting a worldwide audience. A U.S. based company has been selling the test online, primarily to Americans, since last year.

The company will not ship to countries including China and India, where there is often a marked preference for boys over girls. Some suggest the test could lead parents to abort if they were unhappy with the result.

The test works by analyzing fetal DNA that leaks into the mother's bloodstream. Some experts expressed doubts about the technique.

"The earlier in pregnancy that you do these tests, the less fetal DNA there will be around, and possibly, the less accurate the test will be," said Dr. Patrick O'Brien, a consultant obstetrician and spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

"At six weeks of pregnancy, it's questionable whether the technology is that good."

Parents willing to wait longer can get a head-to-toe ultrasound at 20 weeks that is almost 100 percent accurate. Invasive procedures like an amniocentesis - which carry a small risk of miscarriage- can be done at about 11 weeks.

Parents who order the Pink or Blue test receive a packet where the mother provides a spot of blood on a special card. This card is then sent back to the company's laboratories, and within four to six days, the gender of the fetus is revealed. DNA Worldwide claims the test to be 98% accurate, if the directions are followed properly. .

Because the test is marketed as "informational" rather than medical, health authorities in Britain or any other countries, including the US, do not regulate it.

"We're trying to bridge the gap between science and the consumer," said David Nicholson, director of DNA Worldwide. "Many parents are very keen to know if it's a boy or a girl, and we are about providing that information."

The test works by detecting fetal DNA that can naturally be found in the mother's blood. It looks for the male-specific Y chromosome. If the Y chromosome is detected, the fetus is a boy. If not, it's a girl.

The Pink or Blue test is based on a method developed by Italian researchers, who claim the Y-chromosome could be reliably identified in the mother's bloodstream as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

DNA Worldwide offers customers a money-back guarantee if their results prove to be wrong. Of the hundreds of tests sold since the test went on sale in April, Nicholson says they have only had to refund one customer.

"Someone who takes this test should talk to their physician if they're going to do anything with that information besides buying clothes or painting the nursery," said Dr. Rachel Masch, an obstetrician/gynecologist at New York University School of Medicine.

Experts worry about ethical implications if parents use the information to select the gender of their babies, by getting an abortion if the test indicates the "wrong" sex.