Pee test lets mums-to-be see into the future

• Autores: Jessica Hamzelou
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3034, 2015, pág. 13
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Pharmacy kits today can tell a woman if she's pregnant and how far along she is, but many uncertainties remain. Three-quarters of miscarriages occur in the first three months of pregnancy, and many women refrain from sharing their news until after this time. But that may change, thanks to a test developed by MAP Diagnostics in Hertfordshire UK. The test analyses the proteins in a woman's urine, and can predict the chances of a successful birth, a miscarriage, or pre-eclampsia, as well as whether a woman is pregnant with twins. The test was inspired by In vitro fertilization. Traditionally, the healthiest embryos are chosen by eye for implantation in women undergoing this treatment. Newer approaches remove a cell from each early embryo and use a genetic test to screen for abnormal chromosome numbers or genetic mutations linked to poor pregnancy outcomes, but these tests are expensive, invasive and can get it wrong.