Everything you need to know about NIPT for pregnant women | Kek Mama

Since April 2017, the test is no longer only available for pregnant women with an increased risk of a child with a chromosome abnormality, but every pregnant woman can use it. If you want to – after all, it’s your choice. If you choose it, you have to pay for the test yourself. Voluntary participation costs € 175 and is not reimbursed by the health insurance.

DNA

NIPT means ‘Non-Invasive Prenatal Test’ and is an examination that consists of taking a few tubes of blood. This contains hereditary material (DNA) from the placenta that is almost always the same as that of your child. In this way, the laboratory can investigate whether your baby has Down, Edwards or Patau syndrome, safely and without the risk of miscarriage. Good to know: you can only have the test done from eleven weeks of pregnancy.

Secondary findings

While performing the NIPT, the laboratory can also see whether your child has other (rare) chromosome abnormalities: these are called incidental findings. You can decide for yourself whether you want to know this and can choose from two options:

1. You want to know if your baby has Down, Edwards, and Patau syndrome.
2. You want to know whether your baby has Down, Edwards and Patau syndrome and whether the laboratory has found any additional findings.

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Results

After ten days, you will receive the results from your gynecologist or midwife. If you have chosen to also hear additional findings and the laboratory has found them, the Center for Prenatal Diagnostics or an outpatient clinic for clinical genetics at a university hospital will contact you. Possible outcomes:

“You probably aren’t pregnant with a child with Down, Edwards, or Patau syndrome.”

You will not receive a follow-up examination for this result.

“You may be pregnant with a child with Down, Edwards, or Patau syndrome.” We have obtained the figures below from UMCG:

• In 75 out of 100 women who get the result that they may be pregnant with a child with Down syndrome, this is indeed true; 25 women are therefore not pregnant with a child with Down syndrome.
• In 24 out of 100 women who get the result that they may be pregnant with a child with Edward’s syndrome, this is indeed true; Thus, 76 women are not pregnant with a child with Edward’s syndrome.
• This is indeed true in 23 out of 100 women who receive the result that they may be pregnant with a child with Patau syndrome; 77 women are therefore not pregnant with a child with Patau syndrome.

You can get more clarity through a villi test or amniotic fluid test.

“An incidental finding has been found.”

Then you will hear during a meeting in the hospital what exactly has been found and what (possible) consequences this could have for your child.

“No incidental finding was found.”

Source: RIVM / Independer