ABSTRACT
Objective: To detect fetal gender and fetal DNA concentration in maternal plasma during early gestational ages with qualitative and quantitative real-time PCR of the sex determinating region Y [SRY] gene, fetal gender was confirmed by ultrasonography and fetal outcome
Patients and Methods: Maternal plasma was obtained from 25 pregnant women during 4th - 12th weeks of gestational ages. Fetal male gender was detected in copies/ml by qualitative and quantitative real-timc PCR. [3D] ultrasound was done at 24-28 weeks of gestation months of pregnancy
Results: Fifteen out of 25 pregnant women [60%] were bearing male fetus and 10 women [40%] were bearing female fetus with sensitivity 100% and specificity 100%. The concentration of the sex determining region gene [SRY] was increased with gestational weeks
Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge this work demonstrates for the first time that real time PCR is a very reliable technique for determination of fetal sex as early as four weeks of gestation