Factors Affecting low fetal fraction to Cell-Free DNA for Screening in Pregnant Women (A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis)

Abstract

NIPT testing based on cfDNA is one of the screening methods for fetal aneuploids that has received a lot of attention due to its ease of use and non-invasiveness. Numerous factors affect the reportability of this test, such as fetal cfDNA (FF). There are several factors that affect FF. Method: Databases were searched using appropriate keywords. After removing duplicate articles, the titles and abstracts of the articles were evaluated and unrelated articles were excluded from the study. Subsequently, all remaining articles were reviewed for the full text of the article. Only articles related to the subject were selected. Finally, the qualitative information of the articles was show in the extraction table and the quantitative information of the studies was entered into CMA.2 software if it was suitable for meta-analysis. Results: 13 articles related to the topic were selected and 8 articles were reviewed for meta-analysis. Based on the articles that were qualitatively evaluated, several factors such as gestational age, BMI, number of drugs used, and IVF pregnancy were identified as effective in cffDNA.