TY  - JOUR
AU  - Liehr, Thomas
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/26
TI  - Challenges and Ethical Issues Related to Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT)
JO  - OBM Genetics
SP  - 332
VL  - 10
IS  - 01
AB  - Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is now standard in prenatal care in many countries, even though it was introduced only about 15 years ago. Due to its rapid adoption into decades-old prenatal care plans, gynecologists, obstetricians, and the general public still struggle to understand the possibilities, benefits, and limitations of NIPT. The biggest challenge facing NIPT is that comprehensive training for healthcare professionals and independent, unbiased information for pregnant women and their families about NIPT is still difficult to access and often not adequately provided. Misunderstandings are common, such as the assumption by families who receive a negative test result that this means “The baby you are expecting will be healthy!” Therefore, the background, advantages, and limitations of NIPT are reviewed and discussed here. If users were informed in detail about the limitations of NIPT, many problems arising from false expectations and suggestions about the test's potential could be avoided. Ethical aspects of NIPT are discussed, before all the data and arguments presented lead to the conclusion that NIPT is a promising tool for prenatal care, but still needs to find its evidence-based place among other prenatal care applications.
SN  - 2577-5790
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.genet.2601332
DO  - 10.21926/obm.genet.2601332
ID  - Liehr2026
ER  -