JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- A new at-home blood test reportedly can screen for the risk of abnormalities in a fetus earlier and more accurately than conventional tests.
The Ultra Screen Instant Risk Assessment test detects the possibility of chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome as early as nine weeks into pregnancy, the Jacksonville Times-Union said.
The patient pricks her finger and sends a dried blood sample to New York-based NTD Laboratories, the maker of the new test. Two weeks later, the patient visits her doctor for the results.
"This screening is comparable to a PSA for prostate cancer or a pap smear for cervical cancer," said Ramon Castillo a maternal fetal medicine specialist with Regional Obstetric Consultants in Jacksonville. He has been using the test on his patients for the past few months. The test became available in January.
