Cell-Free Fetal DNA (cffDNA)
Quick answer
Fragments of fetal DNA that circulate in the pregnant mother's bloodstream.
By about 7 weeks of gestation, roughly 4–10% of the cell-free DNA in a pregnant woman's blood is fetal in origin. Sequencing this cffDNA — combined with the alleged father's cheek swab — enables non-invasive paternity determination.
Related terms
Browse the glossary
- AABB Accreditation
- STR Marker
- 34-Marker Paternity Test
- Combined Paternity Index (CPI)
- Probability of Paternity
- Chain of Custody
- Buccal Swab
- Cheek Swab
- Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity (NIPP)
- Cell-Free Fetal DNA (cffDNA)
- Amniocentesis
- Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
- USCIS Genetic Testing
- Form I-130
- Legal Paternity Test
- Home Paternity Test
- How It Works
- CLIA Certification
- ISO/IEC 17025
- College of American Pathologists (CAP)
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