Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is available to all pregnant women and screens for the most common chromosomal conditions. The NIPT analyses cell-free DNA in the maternal blood and as such is a safe, simple and risk free test.
The NHS offers combined testing for Down’s syndrome (Trisomy 21), Edward’s syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau’s syndrome (Trisomy 13) at 10-14 weeks. If you are considering this testing or have already had it, stats indicate that 1 in 30 women may receive a high-risk result.
If you fall into the high-risk category, you may have been advised to have an amniocentesis or chorionic villus biopsy (CVS) to assess your baby’s chromosome pattern. The possibility of miscarriage from this test is approximately 1%.
For this reason, NIPT testing is becoming increasingly popular. It has the best detection rate of all screening tests; it estimates the risk of your baby having common chromosome conditions called a trisomy – the most common of which are Trisomy 13, 18 and 21. The detection rate is more than 99% accurate.
Whilst NIPT testing is not classed as a diagnostic test like amniocentesis or chorionic villus biopsy (CVS), it carries no risk of miscarriage. It is, therefore, safe for your pregnancy whilst providing the highest degree of accuracy. NIPT testing provides parents peace of mind and allows them to make the appropriate decisions where further testing might be required.
At Bodyvie, we work with various accredited laboratories to process NIPT samples, all of which have excellent detection rates.
The NIPT tests vary and provide different specificities, sensitivities and screening panels. The cost, turn-around time, and redraw rate will vary according to the NIPT test that is most suitable for you.
Bodyvie offers the following NIPT tests:
- Harmony™ by Ariosa (processed in the UK with The Doctors Laboratory)
- Panorama™ by Natera (processed in the USA)
- IONA® by Yourgene Health (processed in the UK)
- NIFTY™ by BGI Diagnostics (processed in the UK)
Your sonographer or a trained phlebotomist will take a sample of maternal venous blood from the mother’s arm, and the NIPT is combined with an ultrasound scan to confirm pregnancy. NIPT detects cell-free fetal DNA (cfDNA) in the mother’s bloodstream using next-generation sequencing technology coupled with advanced bioinformatics analysis.
NIPT testing can also provide an optional analysis of the X and Y sex chromosomes, thus providing accurate gender confirmation. The accuracy of gender determination using NIPT is greater than 98%, but we always advise having the gender checked at your 20-week ultrasound anatomy scan.
For most women, results will return as ‘low risk’, meaning it is very unlikely that the baby has one of these trisomy conditions. However, they cannot all be ruled out as there is a very small risk that not all trisomy foetuses will be detected.
A ‘high risk’ result indicates a very high chance of your pregnancy being affected by a trisomy condition. However, it does not definitely mean your baby will be affected. Overall the test identifies more than 99% of T21, T18 and T13 pregnancies. An amniocentesis or CVS screening test is generally advised to confirm the result if you receive a positive result.
Includes:
- medical report
- 4 printed images
- fetal measurements
- fetal well-being
- liquor assessment
- placental site
- presentation (+ 16 weeks)
- dating/EDD
- NIPT gender information option
- 4D view option – gives you an optional glimpse of your baby in 4D scan mode (dependent on the baby being in a good 4D position)
NIPT + Scan:
- Harmony™ NIPT including Scan: Cost £450
- Panorama™ NIPT including Scan: Cost £400
- IONA® NIPT including Scan: Cost £450
- NIFTY™ NIPT including Scan: Cost £450 or NIFTY™ PRO NIPT including Scan: Cost £595
*The Harmony™ NIPT test can be carried out from 10 weeks. The Harmony™ test can be used in singleton, twin, and egg-donor pregnancies and has been validated for use in pregnant women aged 18 to 48. Clinicians have used Harmony™ to screen over one million pregnancies in more than 100 countries worldwide.
The price is the same if you request the additional option of including Harmony™ with foetal sex and / or the sex chromosome aneuploidy panel. Turn-around time is approximately 3-5 business days in most cases.
*The Panorama™ NIPT test can be carried out from as early as nine weeks and is the most ordered NIPT, trusted in more than 3 million pregnancies. This simple blood test can assess conditions that can affect your baby’s health. Panorama™ offers prenatal screening for twin, egg donor, and gestational carrier pregnancies.
The price is the same if you request the additional option of including Panorama™ with foetal sex and / or the sex chromosome aneuploidy panel. The additional cost is applied when testing for the base panel (Trisomy 21,18 & 13) plus 22Q11.2 deletion syndrome (DiGeorge Syndrome or Velo-Cardio-Facial syndrome (VCFS)), or base panel (Trisomy 21,18 & 13) plus 5 microdeletions. Panorama™ is also the only NIPT that tests for Triploidy. Turn-around time is approximately 7-10 business days in most cases.
Unsure about Panorama? Schedule your genetic information session here
*The IONA® NIPT test can be carried out from 10 weeks gestation. The IONA® test is a CE-IVD prenatal screening test which is offered to pregnant women to estimate the risk that their foetus may be affected with Autosomal Aneuploidies (AAs); Trisomy 21 (Down’s syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards’ syndrome), Trisomy 13 (Patau’s syndrome), All additional trisomies (optional), All monosomies (optional). Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies (SCAs) (optional); 45, X (Turner syndrome), 47, XXX (Trisomy X), 47,XXY (Klinefelter syndrome), 47,XYY (Jacob’s syndrome), Fetal sex determination (optional).
Turn-around time is approximately 2-5 business days in most cases. IONA® offers prenatal screening for a singleton, twin, egg donor, and gestational carrier pregnancies.
NIFTY screens for the three most common trisomy conditions present at birth – Down Syndrome, Edwards Syndrome and Patau Syndrome, plus 22, 16 and 9. NIFTY has an accuracy rate of over 99% for detecting these conditions. It also offers optional testing for other genetic conditions such as deletion syndromes (DiGeorge Syndrome, Plus 83 further deletion/duplication syndromes) and sex chromosome aneuploidies (Turner Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, XXX, XYY). It can also provide gender confirmation for those parents wanting to know.
Our sonographers are here to provide comprehensive guidance on which test will be most suitable for you. All NIPT testing is offered alongside an ultrasound scan. If you wish to book, please get in touch with us at 0207 1000 744, and we will be happy to help.
