Girl or boy? For expectant mothers eager to find out, a new early gender test promises a 98-per-cent accurate answer just six weeks into pregnancy.
DNA Worldwide launched online sales of its simple finger-prick blood test last week, prompting fears that the technology could lead to more abortions if the fetus is of an unwanted gender. Such an early test could open a Pandora's box of emotions for expectant parents, Canadian experts say.
But David Nicholson, spokesman for the U.K.-based DNA Worldwide, says most people simply want to know what colour to paint the nursery. "They're just excited about having a new baby," Mr. Nicholson said yesterday. "They just want to know."
An expectant mother's blood contains her baby's DNA, so the test looks for Y chromosomes, the presence of which indicates she'll be having a boy. Women who order the $325 test send a small blood sample to a lab in England.
The test is so sensitive that the company tells women not to do it with a man in the room, and all the lab technicians handling expectant moms' blood samples are female. Mr. Nicholson said the company offers a money-back guarantee.
The medical establishment, however, looks askance at home gender testing.
Dr. André Lalonde, vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, said it's a slippery slope.
In China and India, earlier prenatal testing coincided with a spike in the birth rate of boys, as female fetuses are frequently aborted. He worries the same thing could happen in Canada.
"I see this as designer medicine, and I don't think our society is very keen on that," Dr. Lalonde said.
Susan Georgoussis, co-founder of a Toronto parenting centre, doubts many parents will take the test just so that they can buy pink or blue onesies.
"That's so not an issue at six weeks," she said, noting that miscarriage risk in the first trimester is about 30 per cent.
Discovering the baby's gender might help parents get over their disappointment if they're hoping for one sex and get the other, she said.
"I hear people say 'I don't want to be disappointed at the birth, I want to know now so I can wrap my mind around it,' " said Ms. Georgoussis of the Becoming Maternity and Parenting Centre.
But she said most parents are content to wait, at least for the ultrasound at four to six months.
Mr. Nicholson said he's received several inquiries from Canadians since international online sales began last week. A similar testing kit launched in the United States last year gets about 300 orders a month, Mr. Nicholson said.
DNA Worldwide has given only a couple of refunds for inaccurate predictions early on, he added.
Childbirth expert Ann Douglas said expectant parents should think hard before taking the test. "The first trimester is such a tough time anyway - you're feeling sick, your breasts are sore, you're just feeling like you've been hit by a bus," she said.
If there's a chance you'll be disappointed by the gender, "that's a lot to deal with."
Knowing the gender can help make pregnancy seem more real to fathers-to-be, said Ms. Douglas, the Ontario-based author of 28 pregnancy and parenting books.
But she fears the testing gives expectant parents a false sense of control.
"Everything about having a baby is basically a crap shoot. Think about what you're going to do if the information is not what you wanted."
ON GLOBEANDMAIL.COM/LIFE
Predicting your baby's sex:
sharing wild old wives' tales.
