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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:
BadMissM · 06/01/2013 16:24

Cheapest that seems to be coming in atm is the FMC in London. £180.00 for viability scan, Harmony Test, and detailed nuchal scan IF you can get there within certain dates. 10 weeks to 11 for viability and nuchal, then 13 or so for nuchal scan.... They will do it outside that but they charge more for it.

BadMissM · 06/01/2013 16:27

Yikes Now very very glad I went. Turns out my PCT won't do the combined test at all. It 'might' come in next year, but then as the midwife cheerily said 'will be too late for you'. If I hadn't acted when I had, I wouldn't have had any test at all. They do a blood test at about 20 weeks, and that's all....

So if I hadn't gone for the Harmony, wouldn't have any idea....

Grapesmum · 08/01/2013 09:50

Thank you so much to all who have posted, this thread has been so helpful. I'm 31 years old and got a 1:373 risk figure on combined screening. My nuchal was 2.1 and Papp-a was 0.77. I think it's mainly my HCG skewing things at 2.72 MoM. I've been worrying quite a lot but don't want to take the risk with an amnio yet so I've decided to go for the harmony test next Monday. I will be 16 weeks so will also have an early anomaly scan. I'm sooooo nervous but really hope it will give me some reassurance. It sounds like most of you had a good experience at the Fetal Medicine Centre do I'm hopeful it will go well and I will feel confident in the results xx

YikesHereWeGo · 08/01/2013 11:15

Just wanted to update that FMC have been so kind to me this week! They refunded the £400 for the Harmony test saying it was an error. And when I got my dreadful news from my combined test result (1:2 risk) they talked to me for ages about it all. They are advising me to have cvs even before the harmony tests come through as my combined score is so high. They said no doctor would feel comfortable relying on the harmony result alone with such a high combined score, even though they are obviously very confident of the harmony test. I liked their honesty.

holldoll · 08/01/2013 16:58

Good luck yikes, keeping fingers crossed. Did they ring you with the result?

BadMissM · 08/01/2013 20:17

This thread has been a life-saver for me too. I would never have known about all of this otherwise, and as my PCT do nothing.... I haven't had a combined screening and won't get one at all

Grapesmum Good luck next Monday...they are really lovely... What time are you there? I'm going in on Monday for my Nuchal and results....

Yikes Sounds like they have been lovely. My heart goes out to you, I am terrified about Monday with my age.... it sounds like they gave you very sound advice though and took time to discuss....hope everything goes OK xxxxx

iclaudius · 08/01/2013 23:14

badmissm i cannot believe you cannot get the nuchal locally - my friend had nuchal with her son who is 14...i have had it in the north of england with three of my children (privately) but my understanding is that admark or nuchal scan at least is pretty commonplace now....Even standard advice is for women over a certain age to have it ?

iclaudius · 08/01/2013 23:19

yikes that is so interesting ....they do sound like they've been great in the end - good luck for the cvs

BadMissM · 09/01/2013 02:18

iclaudius I got the advice on the nuchal from the NHS' own website.... yet when I asked midwives, and even my own GP they looked at me as if I were mad... and I'm 45, so pretty high risk even without other complications I've had... so far, my PCT (well known for being rubbish and also in the North of England) refuse to countenance the idea, even exceptionally....

Supershiv1 · 09/01/2013 13:33

Hi. I went for my 12 wk scan yesterday and they were unable to do the nuchal because of baby's position. Was told I was 12+0 on the nose yesterday.
The NHS trust doesn't offer another scan.
Am a bit older (37) and don't really want to wait a few weeks for the blood test only one.
I have been reading this thread and am interested in Harmony, but i've googled harmony and FMC and can't see anything apart from press releases.
Anyone got a link or contact number?
Thanks

holldoll · 09/01/2013 15:26

Supershiv - if you google fetal medicine centre it should come up.

Can anyone answer a stupid question - has anyone who has had the bloods done been contacted prior to their nuchal scna with the results? or do the blood results just come through with the scan?

Thanks

Supershiv1 · 09/01/2013 16:13

holldoll - i did that but the website doesn't say anything about harmony? Confused

BadMissM · 09/01/2013 16:22

Supershiv- check your messages!

Holldoll well, they haven't contacted me with anything, so I guess they will give me them on Monday when I have the Nuchal. They combine the two for best results, I think....

Grapesmum · 09/01/2013 21:24

Badmissm, that is terrible you can't get the nuchal
on the NHS, especially in view of your age. My trust didn't offer it in 2009 when I was pregnant with my son but they do now fortunately. I had it done privately with my son and was much more impressed than I was with the NHS anyway. My appointment is at 3pm on Monday. They didn't take many details over the phone so I hope it is all ok. Good luck with your results. Looking on some American forums it looks like there have been a few false positives which is a bit worrying.

I'm hoping they will just give me my results over the phone as being 16 weeks already I am just having an anomaly scan on the day and the blood tests. I don't see any reason I would need to return for the results?

BadMissM · 10/01/2013 14:12

grapesmum Might see you there then...mine is at 3.30. They give you a form to fill out when you get there...

My NHS trust were adamant they wouldn't, despite my age....

Grapesmum · 10/01/2013 19:09

BadMissM, good luck for monday, fingers crossed your results are good.

BadMissM · 10/01/2013 20:54

Grapesmum Thanks so much...will keep you all posted!

sheisold · 12/01/2013 23:18

Anyone know anything about 'intermediate risk' neither yay nor nay- a kind mumsnetter has steered me over here today after my nuchal which has me bewildered ...

TigerLily666 · 13/01/2013 18:05

I went for the Harmony test at the The Birth Company in London (same building as the FMC) and am now waiting for the results. It was a really positive experience for me as I got a scan as well as the blood test - they provide this iBabyScan service which provides you with electronic video footage of your ultrasound (it's explained better on their website). I had a really stressful 12 week ultrasound on the NHS just before Xmas - so it really helped to have time with Dr Gibb who spent ages explaining things to me.

I hadn't been aware that Harmony was available in this country until reading this Mumsnet post. As I am not keen on having an amnio because of the miscarriage risk (history of recurrent miscarriages) it seemed like a good option. I had the combined test first before going for Harmony. My risk factor came back as low for my age (1:246) but because one of my previous miscarriages was because of Edwards, I'm really worried about trisomies in general.

Although it was expensive to travel to London and have the test, I'm absolutely sure this was the right thing to do in my circumstances. Everyone at the Birth Company was really professional, helpful and answered my questions honestly.

Grapesmum · 13/01/2013 19:52

Thanks for your post TigerLily666, so glad you had a positive experience. I'm going to the Fetal Medicine Centre for my scan and blood test tomorrow. I'm really nervous but do feel you often get a better service when you pay for it! Will be great to have confidence in what they are telling you which I often found in the past on the NHS it is a bit hit and miss. I am a scientist (and a paranoid mother) and often have a lot of questions that my local hospital just can't or won't answer. Thank you for helping to put my mind at ease

BadMissM · 13/01/2013 20:11

TigerLily666 sounds like you had a really good experience and that it was worth it to put your mind at rest.... I'm not keen on having an amnio because I had a stillborn child after a botched amnio 15 years ago...and then it turned out the blood test had been wrong and I didn't need the amnio....

I know it's expensive to go to London (I'm almost in Scotland), but I also thought it was worth it for ther peace of mind....

Grapesmum might see you there tomorrow!

lily06 · 14/01/2013 12:43

BadMissM and Grapesmum good luck today, hope everything goes really well for you both.

YikesHereWeGo · 14/01/2013 19:52

What a week! Went in for my CVS last Weds only to be talked out of it by 'the Prof' who said he thought my chances were good for a positive outcome. He said to wait for the harmony test results instead and if they were ok then I shouldn't have CVS but should just come back in for my 20 week scan. He said the doc I'd seen on Monday (who told me my chances were bleak) was just a "silly woman; you should never listen to women". So I went home with hopes well and truly raised.
Got my harmony results today. High risk of Trisomy 21 (Downs). Sad Have to go in for CVS this Weds but have been advised (by another silly woman Hmm) that my chances of having had a false positive are slim.
A very sad day. And typically HRH chooses today to announce that she's due (probably) the same week that I was. Envy
Not sure what I make of FMC after all this. I certainly haven't been given consistent messages from any of the docs there and they've dragged everything out for a week longer than they could have. (I had signed the consent form to have the CVS last week so I don't know why they talked me out of it). And although the Prof could be said to have a certain charm, I'm not sure how he gets away with some of the comments he makes. Confused

ArtigeneAuberchoke · 14/01/2013 22:17

I'm so sorry to hear you got a bad Harmony result Yikes. I wish you lots of strength for the next steps. I'm shocked by the Prof's comments. Was the "silly woman" one of his own staff?

YikesHereWeGo · 15/01/2013 06:56

artigene - thanks. Yes, the prof was referring to one of his staff members. He did a long speech about her (all jokey, but all to essentially undermine what she had told me). There were 4 other docs observing in the room plus the prof plus me & DH. I think he likes to put on a show.