Sanco test

The Sanco prenatal test is a simple blood test that is safe for the mother and baby and is designed for early, reliable diagnosis of fetal trisomy. Optionally, it can determine the sex of the fetus and detects sex chromosome abnormalities (X,Y).

What is trisomy?

Human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, made up of strands of DNA and proteins that carry genetic information. Trisomy is a chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of three copies of a chromosome where two are normally present. The most common cases of trisomy are:

• Trisomy 21 - Causes Down syndrome, which is associated with mild to moderate mental retardation and can also lead to digestive problems and congenital heart defects. Down syndrome is estimated to occur in 1 in 740 births.

• Trisomy 18 - Caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 18, the disorder is responsible for Edwards syndrome and is associated with a high risk of miscarriage. Infants born with Edwards syndrome may have various medical conditions and a limited, shortened life span. Edwards syndrome is estimated to occur in 1 in 5,000 births.

• Trisomy 13 - Caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 13, this disorder is responsible for Patau syndrome, which is associated with a high risk of miscarriage.

The Sanco test determines the risk of the most common fetal trisomies by measuring the relative proportions of chromosomes in the mother's blood. It assesses the risk of fetal trisomies 21, 18 and 13, but does not exclude other possible fetal abnormalities. It detects > 99% of cases of fetal trisomy 21 and has a false positive rate of < 0.1%. Your doctor may order the test for women who are at least 10 weeks pregnant. The test is available for women with single or twin pregnancies and after in vitro fertilization. It is not designed to assess the risk of mosaicism, partial trisomies, or translocations.