Gateway Genomics Announces Top 7 Reasons Why Women Want to Know Their Baby's Gender Early
In a new study with over 1,000 participants across the US, UK, and Canada, "satisfying curiosity" was the #1 reason for fetal sex determination at 8 weeks into pregnancy.
LA JOLLA, Calif., July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Gateway Genomics, leading developer of direct-to-consumer genetic tests that give families insight into their future children, announces a new publication titled, "Reported Benefits of Early Fetal Sex Determination" in the International Journal of Pregnancy & Child Birth. In the study, over 1,000 postpartum moms who had taken the SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test responded to a survey to share what benefits they received from knowing the gender of their babies early in pregnancy.
Annually, 83% of women who give birth are millennials, and 68% of this group are interested in knowing their baby's gender prior to birth. The typical method of learning fetal sex is through the anatomy ultrasound conducted at 18 to 22 weeks into pregnancy. However, the women in this study chose to learn the gender of their babies as early as 8 weeks into pregnancy with SneakPeek, a 99.1% accurate direct-to-consumer DNA test that can be taken either from the comfort of home or at a clinical location.
"Learning the gender of your baby early is a very personal choice," says Gateway Genomics CEO, Chris Jacob. "Some health insurance companies have stated that fetal sex information is not medically necessary and therefore doesn't need to be made widely available, but from our interactions with customers, we found that parents gain immense benefits from knowing if they're having a boy or girl early in pregnancy. We decided to validate this with a formal study to advocate for families who want this knowledge early in pregnancy and highlight the positive benefits that can be gained from this information."
Gateway Genomics sent a survey to postpartum mothers who had taken the SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test to ask what benefits they received from knowing their baby's gender as early as 8 weeks into pregnancy. The survey received 1,129 responses, and the top 7 reasons were:
1) Satisfied my curiosity (93%)
2) Helped me shop for baby (81%)
3) Helped me name baby (80%)
4) Let grandparents or other relatives know (72%)
5) Helped me and my partner bond and connect with baby (53-56%)
6) Gave me a sense of control and peace of mind (51%)
7) Let me announce to loved ones through email or social media (40-49%)
In pregnancy, there are many unknowns, and being able to remove one can provide a sense of control and peace of mind to a soon-to-be mom, reducing potential stress and anxiety. Knowing boy or girl made the baby more tangible for some, allowing for better bonding and quenched curiosity. The SneakPeek test also enabled enhanced planning, providing parents with a larger window of time to shop and consider names for the new baby. Lastly, knowing fetal sex created an additional opportunity to share the joy of a new life; many parents announced the gender to grandparents, other relatives, and friends.
"This study was conducted with participants from the US, UK, and Canada," continues Mr. Jacob. "There are concerns in some areas of the world that an early fetal sex determination test would enable gender selection, but we didn't see this reflected in the responses from participants in these three countries. This opens the opportunity for early fetal sex determination to be offered more widely in the US, UK, and Canada, for the benefit of parents and their new children."
In 2019, Gateway Genomics ranked #236 in the 38th annual Inc. 500|5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., #23 in the Health sector. In this year's Inc. 5000 California list, the company was ranked the 17th fastest-growing private company in the state, and #1 in the Health sector. Gateway Genomics' principal product, SneakPeek, is an easy-to-use DNA test that lets parents know the gender of their babies as early as 8 weeks into pregnancy, with 99.1% accuracy.
About Gateway Genomics
Gateway Genomics is a personal genomics company with the mission to develop leading-edge genetic tests that give families a new level of understanding about their future children. Since inception, more than 250,000 SneakPeek Early Gender DNA tests have been provided to help new parents bond with their babies, make plans, and connect with friends and family around them. Gateway Genomics is located in La Jolla, CA.
SOURCE Gateway Genomics
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