Tag Archive: Baby Gender


Man Found Innocent After DNA Test

Filed Under: In The News by dnatesting101 — Leave a comment
February 20, 2013

Violent crimes are among the most horrific events on Earth, but sometimes it gets even worse. The crime itself happens and then another person becomes victim to it. A person’s life can be destroyed or even taken from him or her if authorities accuse and charge the wrong person with the crime. To further compound the tragedy, the families of both the original victim and the person jailed under false accusations may not know that the real criminal is still at large. DNA testing can ultimately prove who is responsible for a given crime investigation.

RandolphA 300x218 Man Found Innocent After DNA Test Randolph Arledge was a victim of a false accusation, charge and conviction. In 1981, Carolyn Armstrong was found dead in Texas from dozens of stab wounds. Randolph was not even 30 years old at the time. Three years later, Randolph was sentenced to 99 years in prison for killing Armstrong. The problem is that he did not do it and there was evidence to prove that fact. He went on to spend 28 years of his 99-year sentence in jail for a crime he did not commit. In February 2013, Arledge was set free. Close to half of his life has been stolen from him, but he got the rest back thanks to modern DNA testing.

When Carolyn Armstrong was found, police also found her car down the road. Her vehicle contained DNA evidence but was useless at the time. Arledge is very lucky that police decided to keep the evidence, since they can usually be discarded in most cases. DNA testing was done more than a decade later and determined that another man was the killer. After a hearing, is when a local judge let Arledge go on bond until the conviction is officially overturned.

When Arledge went to jail, his two children were both under five years old. Currently, they are both adults who grew up without a father. The family is now reunited and Armstrong’s family has the satisfaction of knowing that police definitely have the right man this time. Sadly, that does not get back any of the time Randolph Arledge and his children lost.

It is uncertain just how many people have been incarcerated under wrongful convictions. DNA testing is too late to save hundreds or even thousands of them, but it is not too late to make sure that it happens much less often and never in cases where there is DNA evidence. With reliable companies making it easy for even civilians to get accurate DNA testing, there is no reason police and courts cannot offer the same.

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Prince Harry’s DNA Test to Detect “Ginger Gene”

Filed Under: DNA Testing by dnatesting101 — Leave a comment
February 19, 2013

PrinceHarry 238x300 Prince Harry’s DNA Test to Detect “Ginger Gene” Prince Harry’s antics in Las Vegas last fall understandably enraged members of the royal family. Sowing a few wild oats may not have invoked such ire if Harry had taken care to ensure the event remained private. However, nude photos of the young prince and a bevy of hookers emerged to the delight of media personnel. The indiscretion soon reached the confines of England’s royal palace. Influenced by her board of advisors, the Queen herself supposedly demanded that Harry undergo DNA testing to determine if he was in fact the product of royal blood.

Lady Diana supposedly had an affair with a military officer by the name of James Hewitt. Many questioned whether the alliance produced the young prince. Like Harry, the gentleman dons red hair and fair skin covered in an array of freckles. According to reports, Prince Charles adamantly prohibited any DNA testing that questioned Harry’s heritage.

Prince Harry Test

In honor of the fun-loving royal, Britain’s DNA now offers couples the opportunity of determining the likelihood of producing a red-haired child. Couples interested in the possibility of passing the red hair trait along to offspring need merely submit a saliva sample for DNA testing. Technicians are able to identify the “ginger gene” by analyzing DNA samples. Dr. Jim Wilson, one of the company’s employees explains that having a child with red hair requires carrying one of three variations of the MC1R gene.

If both parents carry the gene variation, they have a 25 percent possibility of having children with red hair regardless of the hair color of the parents. Passed on from one generation to the next, statistics estimate that four out of every 10 people carry the variation. The company plans to offer the “Who Do You Think You Are?” test during a live exhibition at the London Olympia in February.

RedHeadGene 300x187 Prince Harry’s DNA Test to Detect “Ginger Gene”
Questions Answered by DNA Testing

While DNA testing has long been used for determining paternity, evaluating genetic markers provides a variety of information ranging from ancestry to disease predisposition. Analyzing samples supplied by individuals, technicians successfully separate genetic information donated by each parent. Using worldwide databases, laboratory technicians have the ability of determining the point of origin of genetic material spanning back many generations.

Modern DNA testing identifies when individual’s carry genetic markers associated with over two dozen known medical conditions. Genetic information reveals if individuals carry markers associated with aging processes that might include Alzheimer’s or macular degeneration. Testing also indicates when someone has a likelihood of developing seven different types of cancers. The test might additionally determine the possibility of experiencing cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Using this information, patients and physicians may formulate preventative treatments.

Predisposition testing requires that individuals submit the necessary sample in the office of a health care provider. Individuals may submit DNA samples for ancestry or paternity evaluation from the privacy of their home. After purchasing a test kit, clients merely follow the instructions for acquiring the necessary sample, which generally only entails swabbing the inside of the mouth. Once received by the testing laboratory, technicians perform the desired test and send the results back to the client.

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Blood Test Determines Baby Gender Early as 7 Weeks

Filed Under: DNA Testing by dnatesting101 — 1 Comment
August 10, 2011

blood test prenatal 98x79 custom Blood Test Determines Baby Gender Early as 7 Weeks Recently reviewed study shows that what parents-to-be normally wait 20 weeks for, can now be achieved in seven. This form of prenatal determination uses cell-free fetal DNA from the mother’s blood to determine the gender of the fetus.

These newly reviewed tests have been available for sale in many countries but have only recently been examined by experts. US experts found that the study is 98% percent accurate when blood was tested after the seventh week of gestation.

baby gender 167x246 custom Blood Test Determines Baby Gender Early as 7 Weeks The amount of risk accompanied by invasive cytogenetic tests is extremely diminished by this noninvasive method. Tests like amniocentesis can help determine genetic abnormalities as early as the 15th week of pregnancy. But pregnant women must risk miscarriages and other complications to themselves and their baby.

An ultrasound is another common method of determination that similar to testing maternal blood, is also noninvasive. The position of the baby can cause issues though and parents usually wait 18-20 weeks before conducting this test.

Researchers reviewed 6,541 pregnancies in 57 different studies and found a sensitivity of 95-percent and a specificity of 98.6-percent. These results are tremendously accurate and can prove to be very helpful for high risk pregnancies.

Some are concerned though that the availability of such an early test will cause parents to choose pregnancies based on gender. For example, if a family already has all girl siblings, the parents may not continue with the pregnancy if the gender was found to be female again. This can also be an issue in certain cultures where males are favored.

What do you think about these new early-detection gender tests for your family and your unborn baby?

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Bringing Out the Best Possible “Me” in Your Name Meaning

Filed Under: DNA Testing by dnatesting101 — 3 Comments
April 25, 2011
pregnant belly with question marks 300x199 Bringing Out the Best Possible “Me” in Your Name Meaning

Girl? or Boy?

Obviously a name is not the key reason behind the successes and failures of your life. The decisions one makes, background, lifestyle — all denominators of where your life takes you. According to William Shakespeare, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet” – you represent your name, not the other way around.

More studies are now finding that your name could play a significant role. in your future and who you become. An increasing number of studies are being conducted to see what kind of role a name plays in the lives of the people who hold them.

A study of 3,000 parents by Bounty.com found that in the UK, one-in-five parents regret the name they chose for their child. Why that feeling of regret? Well, a name can hold major influences on your psychology and the way others perceive. An extensive study done by economist, David Figlio, found that boys with androgynous names tend to misbehave more as soon as they reach secondary school. “A boy named Ashley gets teased and feels more self-conscious, particularly if there’s a girl with the same name in the class. They bring the test scores in their entire class down with them,” said Figlio.

boy girl symbols1 Bringing Out the Best Possible “Me” in Your Name Meaning

What's in a Name?

Figlio also found that kids with misspelled names may have the shorter-end of the stick. This has a lot to do with stereotyping and children fulfilling the expectations that others hold for them. A great excuse for stereotyping is that as humans, we do it instinctively. We are built to decide within minutes of meeting someone if they are trustworthy or dangerous, evolution has made us this way. But unfortunately this form of stereotyping, better known as “nominative determinism,” has its negative effects on children.

Children with names that may reflect a lower socioeconomic background may be expected to achieve less or too fail. If the child actually comes from that type of environment may or may not be true, but their name increases the public’s assumption of that probability. Figlio learned through his research that unusually spelled names like “Jackquelyn” scored on average 3-5% less in exams than their siblings with more common names like “Mary” or “John.”

Other surveys have found that a name can even influence where we’ll choose to live: women named Georgia are more likely to move to the state of Georgia, and men called Louis are over-represented in Louisiana.

This concept has been touching more of everyday life, with approximately 490,000 babies born everyday worldwide, this topic is important to parents. The best advice for parents? Be prepared and do your research.  Figlio put it best when he said “Is a name a guaranteed ladder to success? Of course not. But can a name make your life a little bit easier? For sure.”

Learning the sex as early as possible and giving yourself as much time to decide on a name can be a key role in not becoming a statistic. Don’t become one of those parents who regret the name they chose for their child. A name is meant to represent an individual so put some thought behind it.

Genetics Testing Laboratory offers a service known as the Gender Render. As early as 7 weeks post-conception, you and your loved ones can find out the sex of your baby and start buying those baby books and choosing a name. GTL promises a 99% accuracy rate with their testing and can bring you results 10 weeks prior to waiting for an ultrasound.

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