NIPT - Reassurance testing in early pregnancy

Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) can provide reassurance early in an ongoing pregnancy.

An NIPT test is a non-invasive prenatal test that can check your pregnancy for chromosome abnormalities and can be performed as early as 10 weeks, accurately detecting Downs Syndrome (trisomy 21), Edwards Syndrome (trisomy 18) and Patau Syndrome (trisomy 13).

Could NIPT be right for me?

The chance of having a child with a chromosome abnormality increases with maternal age. If you have had IVF treatment and would like to know if your ongoing pregnancy is at risk you can discuss this testing with your doctor or a member of our nursing team. The NIPT test is different to that performed routinely for at risk patients in that it can be carried out much earlier than current screening tests and importantly, does not carry any risk of miscarriage.  

What does an NIPT test involve?

Scientists know that tiny fragments of DNA from a foetus can move through the placenta into the mother’s blood stream. This is called cell free foetal DNA. By taking a sample of maternal blood, rather than removing a sample directly from the pregnancy tissue, as in invasive prenatal diagnosis such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis, and analysing the small DNA fragments, it is possible to detect the three most common chromosome abnormalities. The results are available between 3 - 5 days.

Is NIPT fully validated?

Yes. There have been a number of scientific publications including a UK registered clinical trial evaluating NIPT for 1 year. A number of professional bodies are now recommending the uptake of this testing.

To find out more about NIPT please speak to your doctor or a member of our nursing team for more information.