Labour is calling for a ban on parents-to-be being instructed the sex of their baby after early blood tests, amid fears it might perhaps end end outcome in abortions of girls.
The Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) is used by the NHS to test for genetic conditions, but people pays for it privately to discover a baby's sex.
Labour MP Naz Shah mentioned it was morally flawed for people to use the test to abort pregnancies based largely on the outcome.
The Department of Health mentioned it might hold to evaluate the evidence.
An study by the Victoria Derbyshire programme has discovered thousands of British women discussing using NIPT to study sex on a web forum.
Ms Shah, who is shadow women and equalities minister, mentioned cultural practices in a few teams just identical to the South Asian community, have a range for boys.
She mentioned this placed first-rate pressure on women "forcing them to adopt methods comparable to NIPT to dwell as a lot as expectations of family members".
NIPT involves taking a development from the girl to seem for DNA from the baby circulating in her blood, to gauge the risk of possible genetic conditions comparable to Down's syndrome. It will be used to study sex, information which NHS medical doctors will now not be sharing with people while the test is rolled out during England next month.
Private clinics provide the identical test for spherical £150-£200 and do share this information. Some require in fundamental phrases that a drop of blood be sent inside the post with results sent back in a number of days.
Ms Shah said: "NIPT screenings ought to be used for their supposed purpose, to monitor screen for serious conditions and Down's syndrome.
"The government wants to seem into this exploitative practice and enforce proper restrictions."
'I had a panic attack while they mentioned it was a girl'
Zara, now now not her real name, is Sikh and lives in Greater London.
"I had straightaway made that possibility that I did now not desire to have this baby.
"We have been a family of five women and every time my Mum had one special daughter everyone might come to the house as inside the occasion that they have been coming to mourn.
"For them or now now not it is like a burden. My fear was I did now not desire to go by potential of what my mother went through."
Zara discovered the sex of her baby five months into her pregnancy and opted to have a surgical abortion.
She now regrets the decision. "You see friends and family that have daughters they usually have such a lovely relationship. I'm a persons daughter and a persons sister," she said.
Zara says she believes abortion on the grounds of sex is a "very common" practice.
Rani Bilkhu from the Jeena International firm says many women say they have suffered violence or been coerced into abortions merely as a consequence of the actuality they have been pregnant with a second or third girl.
It wants sex-selective abortion to be considered as a variety of honour-based violence.
"No surprise they're resorting to sex-selection abortion merely as a consequence of the actuality they've got no choice," she says. "They do now now not desire to be homeless, they do now now not desire their marriage to fail - all merely as a consequence of the actuality they might now now not provide bounce to a boy."
'Only if or now now not it is miles a boy'
The online forums the region British women discussed using NIPT include thousands of posts the region women present their anxiousness about having a girl.
One said: "I opt for a son to heal me... my in fundamental phrases bet is NIPT followed by continuation, in fundamental phrases if or now now not it is miles a boy."
The programme also discovered one area, Slough, the region women's clinics offering these tests have been being promoted on roadside adverts.
"This poster is actually telling the community, 'Come here, come to us and we're going to let you realize despite no subject should you're having a boy or a girl,'" says Ms Bilkhu.
Labour MP for Slough, Tan Dhesi, mentioned marketing tests offering sex determination ought to be stamped out.
"Communities in South Asia have made huge strides in tackling this social evil," he said. "That's been primarily by potential of legislation, banning gender determination clinics. In the UK I suppose we've got to be doing likewise, with regards to the private sector as well."
Choosing an abortion merely as a consequence of the actuality of sex is illegal inside the UK, apart from a few rare exemptions, but or now now not it is hard to word as women usually cite special reasons for having the procedure.
In 2015, the govt mentioned it did now not understand how common testing for sex was. It mentioned if NIPT grew to become more popular, it might have gotten to study the impact it was having on the gender ratio in ethnic minority communities.
Ms Bilkhu mentioned it was fine hard to measure.
"Not in fundamental phrases do the govt now now not understand there's an hassle spherical sex-selection abortion, but as well charities and statutory sectors will now not be asking the questions," she said.
The Nuffield Council, which advises on ethical issues, these days held a consultation on NIPT testing. It believes the ability to study sex reinforces energy on women to have boys.
"The desire for sex-selection is a essential driver of private-sector testing," mentioned Tom Shakespeare from the council. "I do now now not suppose the govt desire to regulate, they merely do now now not love it in any sector.
"But countries like China and India have recognised the hassle of sex-selective abortion and so or now now not it is fully hard to get this information - in India or now now not it is illegal. So if we enable it, people will come proper here as tourists."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "The pre-natal test is never intended to be used for determining the sex of a child. We will hold to evaluate the evidence."