Boy or girl? A simple blood test in mothers-to-be can answer
that question with surprising accuracy at about seven weeks, a
research analysis has found. Though not widely offered by U.S.
doctors, gender-detecting blood tests have been sold online to
consumers for the past few years. Their promises of early and
accurate results prompted genetics researchers to take a closer
look. They analyzed 57 published studies of gender testing done
in rigorous research or academic settings — though not
necessarily the same methods or conditions used by direct-to-
consumer firms. The authors say the results suggest blood tests
like those studied could be a breakthrough for women at risk of
having babies with certain diseases, who could avoid invasive
procedures if they learned their fetus was a gender not affected
by those illnesses. But the study raises concerns about couples
using such tests for gender selection and abortion. Couples who
buy tests from marketers should be questioned about how they
plan to use the results,