NIPT, or non-invasive prenatal testing, is a screening that will determine the risk of your baby being born with a genetic abnormality such as Down syndrome. As with other screenings, non-invasive prenatal testing provides a definitive answer as to whether or not a child will be born with a genetic disease.
NIPT will analyze the fragments of the baby's DNA that can be found in the pregnant person's blood. DNA is found in cells that release DNA into the bloodstream when they break down. This DNA that is released into the bloodstream is called cfDNA (Cell-Free DNA).
How does NIPT take shape?
Non-invasive prenatal testing is done in your doctor's office with a quick and simple blood draw from a vein in your arm. Blood is collected in a vial and sent to a laboratory for analysis. Screening is non-invasive, meaning there is no risk to the baby and very little risk to the surrogate.
NIPT can be performed as early as the first nine weeks of pregnancy and can be performed until delivery.
NIPT results
When you get the results from your NIPT, here's what you should expect.
Positive result – A positive result confirms a higher risk of a genetic disease. It is very likely that health professionals will suggest additional tests in your case, such as CVS or Amniocentesis.
Negative result - A negative result confirms a low risk of a genetic disease. Your healthcare provider may suggest additional testing if you have a known family history of genetic conditions.
Inconclusive – This means that there are not enough DNA fragments from the baby's blood in the surrogate's blood.
In rare cases, the results of non-invasive prenatal testing may show an increased risk if the fetus is unaffected, or the results may indicate a reduced risk if the fetus is affected. These results are referred to as false positives and false negatives. NIPT analyzes the surrogate's blood for cfDNA from the fetus, but in some cases the test detects a genetic condition in the surrogate and mistakes it for genetic markers of the fetus.