LifeCell, India’s premier mother and baby diagnostics company and stem cell bank, has launched Pentastic, an ultrasound and biochemistry based blood test undertaken in the first trimester of pregnancy between 11 to 13 weeks 6 days to screen for genetic abnormalities, structural malformations in the fetus and serious high blood pressure in pregnancy.

This would lead to substantial improvements in health outcomes whilst providing a higher level of reassurance for expectant parents. The screening will be performed on a platform accredited by Fetal Medical Foundation (FMF), the flagship international organisation for fetal diagnostics.

Another significant advantage of the Pentastic test is that it helps in detecting Pre-eclampsia, (developing <37 weeks) in the first trimester. This is a medical condition that increases the risk both for mother and the baby during pregnancy. Some symptoms of pre-eclampsia may include high blood pressure and protein in the urine, occurring after week 20 of pregnancy. Conventional biochemical screening and even advanced DNA-based tests such as Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) do not help in identifying this condition. Importantly, early detection facilitates early treatment which is important for the safety and psychology of the parents.