How many FFs are required for prenatal paternity DNA testing?

In prenatal paternity DNA testing, ‘FF’ refers to the percentage of foetal DNA (Fetal Fraction).Fetal DNA is the fetus’ DNA in the mother’s blood and is a very important component in Non-Invasive Prenatal DNA Testing (NIPT) and DNA paternity testing.

Required Fetal Fraction (FF)
Generally, a minimum percentage of foetal DNA of at least 4% is required for prenatal paternity DNA testing. FF is a term used to refer to the percentage of DNA derived from the fetus. Below is more information on FF:

Minimum quantity required:.

Most NIPT and prenatal DNA testing can provide accurate results if the percentage of foetal DNA (FF) is at least 4-5%.
If the FF is less than 4%, the test is less accurate and the results may be indeterminate.
Ideal FF:.

Ideally, an FF of 8% or more provides even more accurate results.
FF tends to increase as pregnancy progresses, especially after the sixth week of pregnancy, when sufficient amounts of foetal-derived DNA are often present in the blood.
Weeks of gestation and FF:.

Fetal-derived DNA begins to be detected in maternal blood at about 6 weeks’ gestation, but FF increases as the number of weeks of gestation progresses.
Most prenatal DNA tests are usually carried out after the eighth week of pregnancy.
In cases of insufficient FF
If the percentage of DNA of fetal origin is insufficient, the following actions may be taken:

Re-collect blood and redo the test.
Waiting for the pregnancy weeks to progress may increase the percentage of foetal-derived DNA.
Conclusion
Prenatal paternity DNA testing requires a minimum percentage of foetal-derived DNA (FF) of at least 4%.Testing after the sixth week of pregnancy increases the likelihood of obtaining sufficient foetal-derived DNA.

Supervisor of the article


Dr. Hiroshi Oka

Director of CAP Laboratory

Graduated from Keio University, Faculty of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine

Medical Doctor