About NIPT
Learn more about Non Invasive Prenatal Testing
this is my: baby has been offering NIPT screening since it was first available within the UK in 2013.
The NHS admits that “NIPT is more accurate than the 1st trimester combined or quadruple test for estimating the risk of Down’s Syndrome” (rapid.nhs.uk).
NIPT testing is now available for pregnant patients on the NHS but ONLY for those who have been given a high risk result from a screening test. This means that if your individual risk is greater than 1 in 150 after initial screening with the combined or quadruple screens you will be offered the option for further testing using NIPT instead of opting for an invasive testing. The NHS NIPT screen will assess the risk of Trisomy 21 (Down’s syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards’ syndrome) & Trisomy 13 (Patau’s syndrome) only. Be aware that by the time you are offered this test via the NHS you will probably be in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy and getting your result back when you are over 16+ weeks pregnant.
NIPT screening at this is my: baby can be performed from as early as 9 weeks which is much earlier than the initial combined screening with the NHS at 11 to 13 weeks. NIPT screening with this is my:baby is a single step process taking only 5-10 days from scan to a result (differing laboratory turnaround times).
All our NIPT screens are safe, simple and highly accurate and offer expectant mums a calculated chance of their unborn baby being affected with common conditions such as Trisomy 21 (Down’s syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards’ syndrome) & Trisomy 13 (Patau’s syndrome) but also optional screening for other conditions including all 24 chromosomes and many deletion and duplications problems.
NIPT with this is my: baby also has the option of finding out the gender or sex of your baby on all NIPT screens as standard, an option not an available with the NHS test.
Non Invasive Prenatal Testing or NIPT is available at all this is my: healthcare centres
this is my: baby gives you
the quickest results
the most accurate test
at the best affordable price
Why settle for anything less than the best for your unborn child?
this is my: baby has over 15 years’ genetic screening experience in both chromosomal and inherited disorders.
We have a long history within prenatal screening. Our founder team included experts including Howard Cuckle a Professor of Epidemiology, Gerald Mason a Fetal Medicine Consultants and a number of other top clinical specialists, all backed by a fully trained administration and screening co-ordination team. Many of these original team member still work within this is my today and are there to guide you through your pregnancy. Our team along with Perkin Elmer developed the NHS screening test you are currently offered today. Our expertise is your reassurance.
Call today to speak to one of our trained advisers to discuss your NIPT options on 0113 262 1675.
Safe
All parents want the most reassurance for their pregnancy and all want to protect their unborn baby as best they can. NIPT uses the genetic material of the pregnancy, so is highly accurate to over 99%. Traditional NHS screens use placental biochemical markers and have a quoted accuracy of 60 to 90% detection rate.
It is also worth remembering that if you are considering or have had screening for Chromosomal conditions, including Down’s Syndrome, the NHS screen will give a high risk result to around 1 in 30 women. If you do receive a high risk result, you may be offered NIPT screening or be advised to consider undergoing invasive testing such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus biopsy (CVS) to assess your baby’s chromosome pattern. The possibility of miscarriage from the invasive testing is approximately only 1%.
It is important to remember that even if you are in this “high risk” group most pregnancies will NOT be affected with a chromosomal problem.
The relatively NEW NIPT screen a highly accurate alternative to amniocentesis / CVS and is completely safe, simple and risk free, and available to all pregnant women, Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) has the highest detection rate of all screening tests. One meta-analysis has shown that the detection rate and false-positive rate for NIPT for screening for Down’s syndrome are 99% and 0.1% respectively (Gil et al., 2015) It MUST be made clear that Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) is not classed as a diagnostic test like amniocentesis or CVS but it will give you reassurance to the highest degree possible that you are making the right choices should you need further testing.
Simple
Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) is the most accurate screening test for Down’s Syndrome and other trisomy conditions. It is available to ALL women from as early as 9 weeks gestation including twins (Identical and none identical), IVF, self and non-self pregnancies.
It differs from traditional screening as from a simple sample of venous maternal blood taken from the mother’s arm, in conjunction with an ultrasound scan to confirm pregnancy, NIPT next generation sequencing technology analyses actual free floating fetal DNA (cfDNA), coupled with advanced bioinformatics analysis, instead of looking at traditional hormonal placental blood markers which
every pregnant woman metabolises differently.
NIPT will calculate the risk of your baby having a common chromosome condition called a trisomy. The most common trisomies are Trisomy 21 (Down’s Syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards’ Syndrome) and Trisomy 13 (Patau’s Syndrome). The detection rate is more than 99% accurate in comparison to the combined screening test which has a detection rate of only 70 – 90%, and the quad test which is
as low as 60%.
With new advancements in screening, testing for all 24 chromosomes, sex linked aneuploidy, gender and some micro-deletion abnormalities is also possible. This is optional and may incur an additional charge. Screening for these conditions is not common practice and requires appropriate counselling.
Reliable
Whatever your result, this is my: healthcare is there to support you.
Most women will come back with a ‘low risk’ result and therefore it is very unlikely that the baby has one of these conditions. However, there is a very small risk that not all trisomy fetuses will be detected.
A ‘high risk’ result is indicative of a very high chance of your pregnancy being affected with a trisomy condition. Overall the test identifies more than 99% of T21, T18 and T13 pregnancies.
A positive or high risk result does not definitely mean your baby is affected, although it is very likely. If you receive a positive result, an amniocentesis or CVS is generally advised to confirm the result as NIPT is still a screening test and not a diagnosis.
Only 0.1%.of women using NIPT are likely to receive a high-risk result when the fetus is not affected (a “false positive”).
We interpret all results in the context of clinical and familial data and we recommend you continue with your usual scan appointments following testing.
Should the NIPT result be returned as low-risk but the ultrasound scan idenitifes a potential high-risk issue, then a rare chromosomal defect or other structural problems cannot be ruled out and you may then still wish to consider an amniocentesis or CVS.
Test performance data for Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive Predictive Values & Negative Predictive Values for each test / laboratory please click on the individual test icon on our home page.
How Does NIPT Work?
Ultrasound Scan
An ultrasound scan will confirm the presence, gestational age, viability and number of babies present in your pregnancy.
If we identify a multiple pregnancy we will determine the choronicity (identical or non-identical babies).
We will also check as much anatomy as possible for each baby (depending on gestational age) to give you reassurance all is progressing as expected.
Blood Sample
A simple 10 ml blood sample is taken from the mother’s arm and sent to our laboratory.
Cutting-edge technology allows the baby’s genetic material to be analysed for the most common chromosomal abnormalities.
NIPT commonly screens for:
Trisomy 21 (Down’s Syndrome)
Trisomy 18 (Edwards’ Syndrome)
Trisomy 13 (Patau’s Syndrome)
Triploidy (Panorama NIPT ONLY)
Triploidy (Panorama NIPT ONLY)
Optional screen add-ons can include:
Fetal sex / gender
Sex aneuploidies including
Monosomy X (Turner syndrome)
Klinefelter syndrome
Triple X syndrome
Microdeletions including
22q11.2 deletion syndrome or DiGeorge syndrome
1p36 deletion syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome
Angelman syndrome
Cri-du-chat syndrome
Sex aneuploidies including
Monosomy X (Turner syndrome)
Klinefelter syndrome
Triple X syndrome
Microdeletions including
22q11.2 deletion syndrome or DiGeorge syndrome
1p36 deletion syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome
Angelman syndrome
Cri-du-chat syndrome
All 24 chromosomes
Results
It will tell you if your pregnancy is at an increased risk of a chromosomal abnormality.
Test results will be ready in 3 to 10 working days, depending on the test chosen and its associated turnaround time (TAT).
This is calculated from the time your blood sample is received at our laboratory, and weekends and Bank Holidays can delay the result reporting.
this is my: healthcare continues to provide NIPT service as usual. Shipping through our normal channels is still guaranteed although some delays (1 to 3 days approximately) may somethimes be expected.
Please be aware of the possible delays.
Notes:
NIPT testing alone does not provide information on physical defects, mosaicism, partial trisomy, translocations or triploidy (excluding Panorama NIPT) and thus it is essential that a detailed ultrasound scan is undertaken for full evaluation purposes.
NIPT testing with any company is dependent on the amount of cfDNA circulating within the sample, and sometimes there is not enough. In these cases the result can be delayed as further analysis is needed and in some cases another blood sample or redraw would be required.
Blood samples are usually dispatched the next working day after the sample draw.
If you have recently undergone a blood transfusion, transplant surgery, immunotherapy or stem cell therapy please speak with an adviser at this is my: healthcare prior to the blood sample being taken.
Turn around Time (TAT) are calculated from when the sample reaches the laboratory in working days (NOT calendar days). It is estimated that 95% of samples will have a result within this time scale. When further sequencing is needed in order to obtain a result, TAT can be slightly longer.
this is my: healthcare provides NIPT service via various shipping channels but cannot fully guaranteed turnaround times. Shipping delays occasionally occur (1-3 days) but these do not usually affect your sample. Please be aware of the possible delays.
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About our NIPT providers
At this is my: baby, we use a number of laboratories to process your NIPT sample.
There are only a few recognised companies / laboratories in the world currently offering NIPT screening:
- NIFTY™ byBGI Health processed by BGI in Hong Kong
- Panorama™ by Natera in the USA
- IONA® by Premaitha in the UK
- PrenatalSafe® by Eurofins in Italy
Each laboratory offers screening for the common trisomies 21, 18 and 13 and the accuracy is > 99% with all of them.
Many offer the option to screen for gender and the sex linked aneuploidy conditions as standard.
Some companies also offer expanded panel screening and screening for specific conditions, subject to an additional charge.
In general most people want to screen for the common trisomies.
If however, you have a concern about a specific rarer condition, please speak to one of our advisers who will be able to assist you in your choice.
Ideally you want to use a NIPT laboratory which gives the fastest turnaround from blood sample to result, with the lowest re-draw rate and the most affordable price.
NIPT testing is constantly advancing so test option vary from time to time so please check with us at the time of booking and we will be able to advise you of your options.
Testimonials
Nifty
Panorama
theIONAtest
Prena Test
PrenatalSafe
Pregnancy Outcome Survey:
We continually strive to monitor the quality of our service to ensure we improve if and where necessary and we would be very grateful if you would please complete the following pregnancy outcome form.
NIPT Feedback Survey:
We want to know if we have given you a good service, What were our strong points but also how could we do better. We would be very grateful if you would please complete the following NIPT feedback survey form.
