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Original poster

Harmony prenatal test - anyone know about it

830 replies

RTchoke · 29/10/2012 05:41

today I am having a new kind of prenatal test called Harmony. It's non-invasive and seems to just be a new kind of blood test plus the regular nuchal scan but it's much more accurate than the traditional nuchal blood test. Apparently it's nearly as accurate as a CVS but without any risk.

I'm the only person I know who is having this test and nobody else seems to have heard of it let alone have been offered it. I just wondered if others have and knowledge of it and how accurate it is.

OP posts:
Worriedthistimearound · 16/10/2013 17:15

London, I think FMC are the cheapest place in the country to have it done. We are not in the SE so we paid £750 and that was without an nt scan as I was only 10wks but did include a dating scan.when my harmony result came back clear they advised me not to bother with a separate nt scan as the results would almost certainly give me worse odds due to being 42. I was happy with the 1:10000 that the harmony gives as standard so took her advice and didn't bother.
I think, however, that the FMC are keen that those having harmony also have an nt scan.

LondonSuperTrooper · 16/10/2013 17:36

Worried- Thanks for your reply. I also thought that FMC are pushing for either a nuchal or dating scan.
I'll ring them again tomorrow and ask again. I'm leaning to have a nuchal and not a dating scan with them.

womma · 16/10/2013 18:39

London, I had my Harmony test at 13 weeks. I'd already had my nuchal scan, and was able to just have the test with no further scan (apart from a very brief one to check the heartbeat) at FMC.

I'm positive it's £180 for the scan, and then £400 for the blood test, so £580 in all.

YikesHereWeGo · 16/10/2013 20:09

Hi london - it's currently £400 in total at FMC for the 2 appointments if your first appointment is at week 10 -one at 10 weeks (scan to check for dates + blood tests) then another at 12 weeks (detailed unchallenged scan + harmony results). I went there last week for my 10 week appointment so this is definitely the current price. If your harmony results come in early the can give you them over the phone. But they would still want you to come in at 12 weeks - for nuchal scan if good news (as scan can pick up other issues) or for cvs if bad news. You could always double check this point with them. But it's definitely £400 Smile

YikesHereWeGo · 16/10/2013 20:12

P.S. To get the £400 price you have to have the dating scan with them so they can be sure you are at 10 weeks and have a viable pregnancy; otherwise they wouldn't want you to go to the expense of having the blood tests done. I had already had 3 scans this pregnancy but still needed to be scanned again with them before bloods were taken.

YikesHereWeGo · 16/10/2013 20:13
  • 'Unchallenged scan' = nuchal scan!!
CrispyFB · 16/10/2013 23:28

Yep - despite the fact I'd been scanned at 7 weeks, they wanted to scan me again at 10 weeks before taking my blood. Her words were "I am satisfied the baby looks good so we can go ahead" pretty much!

But then again I'd imagine if you were a little further along and had, say, an NT scan somewhere else very very recently (with evidence of that and the results) you may be able to get away with just the blood test. Possibly. You'd have to ask them.

suzimama · 17/10/2013 23:27

Hi,

Off the Thread for a while because the 2nd Harmony test failed. Once again low fetal DNA count. No percentages were given. I think that it is a weight issue. Whilst I am not exactly huge (size 16), 90kg puts me in the failed test category. Received a £400 refund of the test cost. I'd be very interested to hear if anyone of a similar weight managed to get a result, because perhaps BMI tolerance levels should be mentioned in the literature.

LightTripper - thanks v much for the detailed explanation. I took the Panorama test at the Birth Company last Monday. FMC don't offer it, but recommended Dr Gibb at the Birth Company. I have about a week to wait for the results. DH had a cheek swab as well, as Dr Gibb said that it was necessary after a failed Harmony test.

I have now decided that if this fails, I won't go for any further testing. I have my 20 week scan next week and if there is any doubt I will have an amnio. I have been told that everything else is fine - bloods, nucal and early anomaly scan, nasal bone. My age has probably put me in the high risk category (1:80). if the scan is fine, I leave it at that and try enjoy the rest of my last pregnancy, which really has been on hold for the last month or so. I still feel very uneasy telling others about my pregnancy, but have slowly started to do so.

Fingers and toes crossed for my last attempt at a non-invasive test.
On the plus side, I passed my British Computer Society exam whilst all of this was going on.....

Crispy and Womma - so very pleased to hear your good news
Best wishes to all waiting for their results.

YikesHereWeGo · 18/10/2013 07:00

Oh suzi, how very frustrating for you. I can totally understand your comment that life has been on hold for the last month. Waiting for test results is the worst bit about pregnancy. I really hope the Panorama test gives you a clear result. I actually think 1:80 is not so bad (my DH and I spoke long about what a 'good' result would be when I got pg this time and we agreed 1:50 or more would be good.) But it's so hard to put niggling doubts to one side isn't it? I think I would take the same approach you are taking - if a good 20 week scan then no more tests, but if anything looks odd then amnio.
Best of luck over the next few weeks. And congrats on the exam. xx

Worriedthistimearound · 18/10/2013 08:18

Hi Suzie, sorry the harmony didn't work. My understanding is that the panorama has much better odds at working with lower fetal fraction so fingers crossed for you.
I also wanted to say that we saw an obstetrician in my last pregnancy for something different but she was saying that she had never had a patient who screened 1:100 whose baby actually had an issue. She said that was almost always an age risk. She said age related risks can take a woman down as far as 1:50 when there's nothing wrong with baby at all. She also said that the overwhelming majority of cases where there was an issue, the risk was 1:12 or higher.

I think Drs like her would welcome the harmony test as she was saying how she regularly performs invasive testing on women getting odds such as 1:200 from their nt scan when they are 40yrs old and she wishes the odds were broken down a little more so that they understood that it was their age rather than anything from the scan that was causing those odds.

LondonSuperTrooper · 18/10/2013 12:30

Thanks Yikes & Crispy I'm now a little worried after reading Suzie's post! I have a high BMI of 32 and I'm concerned that harmony may not work for me :(

Suzie what an utter nightmare for you! Really hope that you will get good results with the Panorama test.
And congratulations on passing your exam!

YikesHereWeGo · 18/10/2013 18:29

worried - that's very interesting re the 1:12 and 1:50 'thresholds', although not entirely surprising! I agree you need to look beneath the numbers to understand what they mean. (From my perspective anything other than 1:2 looks like a good result, having had that result last time.)
Still waiting impatiently for my results. 6 more sleeps, hopefully.

suzimama · 19/10/2013 13:22

London - the Harmony test may work for you so try not to worry. Looking at the Panorama test, it seems to test for a couple of other anomalies. Still waiting for the result, if I get a result next week I will post asap.

This is the first time I have tested as high risk on the combined test. I think I had odds of 1:256 last time around at age 41 and I didn't give it a second thought. Everything was fine.

The last scan at the FMC was pretty good, I am almost tempted to get the 20 week one there. My last NHS scan was complete shambles at Barnet Hospital. The trainee didn't seem to know what she was doing and had to ask for guidance. I appreciate that we all have been new to a role at some stage, but it doesn't exactly fill you with confidence when you have to make a decision based on the results of the scan.

Worried - the 1:50 theory is interesting. The threshold for me personally was 1:100 and I did get that particular result, however an adjustment for ethnic group later reduced it to 1: 80.

Yikes - hopefully this week will go by very quickly...

womma · 19/10/2013 21:22

Suzi, I'm so sorry you had an unsuccessful attempt with the Harmony test. I really hope the Panorama test works for you and you have a happy result. I can certainly understand that having an extended wait is bloody tough.

HelloLA · 20/10/2013 21:56

Wow: this thread has got so much longer since I last visited. I posted back in December, on page 5, about my 'Materniti 21' test (essentially the same as Harmony; I had it done in the States).

My NT measurement (2.9) plus age (32) had given me a 1:150 risk.

Materniti21 test found no chromosome abnormalities, and predicted a girl.

It was correct on both counts, and DD was born in June.

I don't think there have been any recorded false negatives with this test so far, have there?

Re. gender, I would definitely trust the Harmony/Materniti21 over any kind of self-administered test where you have to prick your own finger and mail in a sample; I hope companies like that give you a refund if they're proved wrong! Or do they have some sneaky small print saying that their test isn't 100% accurate and they can't be liable for mistakes?

Anyway, I'm really happy to see that awareness of the Harmony-type tests is snowballing, and hope it gets approved for NHS use soon. Best wishes to everyone still waiting for results. I know it feels like the longest 2 weeks ever.

YikesHereWeGo · 22/10/2013 21:43

A marvellous day of marvellous news. Good news from the Harmony test. Grin

womma · 22/10/2013 21:46

Oh YIkes that's wonderful! So happy for you! Wishing you all the best and a lovely bouncing baby in a few months xxx

Worriedthistimearound · 25/10/2013 11:32

Fantastic news! Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!

suzimama · 25/10/2013 17:39

Fantastic news Yikes!

My results have come in today as well. The Panorama test actually worked for me and I have a result at last Grin Grin Grin Low risk 1 :100000

CrispyFB · 25/10/2013 18:15

Hurray all round!! So glad Panorama worked for you Suzimama.. finally an end to your stress, well, over that aspect of pregnancy anyway!

And thank you HelloLA for popping in to share your results and baby news too - congratulations!

YikesHereWeGo · 25/10/2013 20:11

Yay suzi, what a relief!!!! It's such a great feeling isn't it?! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy. xx

suzimama · 26/10/2013 17:55

Thanks for the support and advice all. It really kept me going for the last month or so. In the end, my fetal fraction rate was 4.4%, just scraped through with a result.

Yes Yikes it's a brilliant feeling . Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy xx

Time to start looking at prams and buggies.....

jaykay987 · 28/10/2013 18:10

Hello. I have just read this thread from beginning to end!

I have booked a reassurance scan for next Friday (7weeks). I am then keen to get the harmony test at 10weeks.

DH and I want to get the results before we announce to anyone.

Did anyone with a successful harmony test have a high bmi? I am very overweight and not sure if it'll work following one experience on here (sorry - can't remember names!)

I'll definitely ask them at any 7week scan - but just wondered if we had any mn RL examples?

Lmf679 · 29/10/2013 16:42

Lily06 how many weeks are you for the viability scan? I'm 6+2 and have been looking at the fetal medicine centre for one of these although I think it's best to wait until I'm 8 weeks?

parachute115 · 29/10/2013 16:56

hi - I'm a 41yr old & am 16+4wks. I opted to go to the FMC for nuchal & Harmony testing as my 17month old son was diagnosed with Downs the day after he was born.
At the FMC my nuchal result was 1:357 and my Harmony test results came back as low risk (1:10,000). After getting these results I felt as if a huge weight of worry had been lifted off my shoulders however today I had a routine app at my NHS Obstetric clinic & the consultant advised that I should still have an amnio to be 100% sure...return of the weight on my shoulders!!
My first pregnancy ended with a miscarriage at 12wks and the worry of another miscarriage in this pregnancy has been making me very anxious.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? I know that the Harmony test is still classed as a screening test rather than a diagnostic test but at the FMC I was told that due to my results I wouldn't need any invasive testing - is my NHS Doc right - whose advise to take? Help?