Focus on genetic testing to pre-empt fetal disorders
Times of India | 6 July 2026
Kolkata: Prenatal genetic diagnosis was one of the key focus areas during the two-day annual meeting of fetal medicine specialists in Kolkata. Experts said prenatal genetic testing, which can detect chromosomal abnormalities and inherited conditions in a developing foetus, is helping couples make informed decisions on whether to continue pregnancies affected by serious anomalies.
Doctors said an increasing number of expectant parents are opting for prenatal genetic testing in addition to routine pregnancy investigations. The annual meeting of the Fetal Medicine Society (FMS) Bengal Chapter featured workshops on various aspects of foetal medicine, with a special focus on genetic testing. Experts stressed that as genetics becomes increasingly important in obstetric practice, developing competency in invasive diagnostic procedures is essential for safe sample collection, accurate diagnosis and better pregnancy outcomes.
“The combination of expert fetal imaging, invasive prenatal diagnosis, and genomic technologies has transformed prenatal care. Training healthcare professionals in these rapidly evolving areas is essential to delivering accurate diagnoses, appropriate genetic counselling, and better outcomes. Integrating genetics into routine fetal medicine practice empowers clinicians to move beyond diagnosis towards personalized and informed pregnancy care,” said Dipanjana Datta, medical geneticist and secretary, SFM Bengal.
Doctors said prenatal genetic testing can detect conditions including Down syndrome, sex chromosome anomalies, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and spinal muscular atrophy. Early diagnosis enables families and medical teams to prepare for a baby’s healthcare needs and make informed reproductive choices.
When structural anomalies or genetic risks such as thalassemia in the parents are identified, clinicians often need to obtain fetal tissue samples. Participants received hands-on training in procedures including chorionic villus sampling (CVS), amniocentesis, medical termination techniques, advanced fetal ultrasonography and echocardiography. The programme also included an advanced fetal imaging and 4D ultrasound workshop.
Eleven nationally renowned fetal medicine experts led the training. The faculty included Ashok Khurana, Alok Varshney, Kushagradhi Ghosh, Kanchan Mukherjee, Khurshid Alam, Prasanna Roy, Vinayak Das, Ananya Basu, Deblina Kar, Kamal Oswal and Shankar Dey.
“Every woman deserves access to quality prenatal diagnosis. Our responsibility extends beyond mastering advanced technology — it is to build systems, train professionals, and share knowledge. Scientific excellence has its greatest value when it serves society,” said Kanchan Mukherjee, senior fetal medicine specialist and central executive vommittee member, SFM.