Can doctors tell if a baby has progeria when it is not yet born?

2 Comments

1. ROSEY says:

   August 13, 2009 at 12:35 am

   I believe progeria is diagnosed after baby is born.. when they are months old and the parent notices that they aren’t growing normally and brings this to the attention of the doctor…
2. cintchick says:

   August 13, 2009 at 12:35 am

   A diagnosis of Progeria can be made earlier than 18-24 months by genetic testing (PRF Diagnostic Test), although the test is not usually performed until the child has displayed clinical symptoms of Progeria.

   As for whether a diagnosis could be made in utero, I suspect this is technically possible, since the genetic mutation is believed to occur in the sperm prior to conception. This being said, because Progeria is *extremely* rare, and it is not a hereditary disorder, I cannot see any scenario where testing would be done in utero.

   I hope this information is helpful.