Non Invasive Prenatal Testing

NIPT stands for “Non Invasive Prenatal Testing”. You may also sometimes hear this called “NIPS”, or “Non Invasive Prenatal Screening”. NIPT is a genetic blood test that screens for conditions that can affect the fetus in a pregnancy. It is >99% accurate for detecting Down’s Syndrome (Trisomy 21), Edwards Syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau Syndrome (Trisomy 13). It can also screen for multiple other conditions, and can even tell you the fetal sex in the first trimester. It is a highly accurate test that can be done on singleton or twin pregnancies.

Blood is drawn from a pregnant person, which contains DNA from the placenta. A specialized lab can look at the placental DNA and assess whether there is a high risk or low risk of that fetus having certain genetic conditions. This blood test is usually done around week 10 of pregnancy, and the results are available in about 5-7 days. Please keep in mind this is a screening test and does not diagnose any conditions in pregnancy. Follow up is required with a doctor to discuss any high risk or positive screening results.

Beam partners with Natera to provide the Panorama Prenatal Screening test. Patients who are doing their ultrasounds through our Obstetrical or Maternal Fetal Medicine programs are eligible to participate in our NIPT program where we will cover a portion of your Natera fees, provide kits and bloodwork collection at our clinics, and ship everything on your behalf. The results of your test will be automatically sent to your primary pregnancy care provider, as well as our Obstetrics team, and you will have access to these results as soon as they are available.