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Antenatal tests

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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:
peacefuleasyfeeling · 15/01/2013 08:42

Yikes, before I begin I just want to say how sorry I am for your worrying result.

I just thought I would add my experience of the Harmony Test to the list. I also posted this, with an explanation of what the test is, in the Due in August thread in order to signpost anyone who has not yet heard of the test (why would one?) but who may be in the unfortunate boat of fretting about their combined test results to this thread.

I had mine done at The Harley Street Centre for Women, with the thorough and knowledgable Dr Pandya, when I was 15+4. I had spent Christmas eve trying to panic book an appointment at the FMC, having had my results for the NHS combined test a couple of days earlier, but their phonelines were down, so I rang the Harley Street Centre for Women instead, and I'm so pleased I did. I cannot praise them enough; very professional and efficient, yet warm and accommodating; I arrived in London ahead of schedule, and they were able to see me early; the admin team doted on my travel-weary 2 yo DD (we'd been on the road all day) and plied her with chocolates, the nurse let her "help" take my bloods, Dr Pandya was well versed in all things Peppa, and expertly multi-tasked; taking his time to answer all my questions with patience and kindness and performing a reassuringly detailed scan while keeping up a polite chat with DD. In fact, the scan alone made me feel much better, it was so unhurried and precise. I really felt I could not have been in better hands (but then I had done extensive research into his credentials and published work before attending).

I had my results yesterday, I feel confident that they are reliable, and feel so glad I went ahead.

partridgeinpeartree · 15/01/2013 13:43

Peaceful - does it cost the same at the Harley st centre as the fetal medicine centre? I can't find anything on their website.

BadMissM · 15/01/2013 14:38

Well, went for my results yesterday and they were very good, less than 1 in 10,000 chance apparently... I am ultimately relieved that I went to the FMC. The doctor I had was lovely, very professional, and very reassuring. She was also extremely thorough with the Nuchal, even getting me to go and relax again to get the baby in the right place. Am so glad I went....

Yikes I'm sorry to hear it wasn't too good.... are you going for the CVS?

Nicponty · 15/01/2013 17:27

Had my results for the harmony test today and they were very good. Such a relief. I'm 40 so considered high risk. Despite the cost I'm glad that I had the opportunity to have the test as it has given me peace of mind. Also lucky that the test is offered in Cardiff so didn't have to travel. The two week wait for the results was hard though.
Test through spire clinic in Cardiff with Bryan Beattie.

BadMissM · 16/01/2013 15:08

I know, it's a relief to know it's all OK, and I would recommend it to anyone!

ela01 · 16/01/2013 15:10

I just wanted to say that The Avenue Clinic in Sevenoaks, Kent is also now offering the Harmony Prenatal Test so it is definitely becoming more widely available. Mr Anthony Abbas is the Fetal Medicine Consultant there and has been around for many years providing CVS and Amnios. I found this thread so informative and first hand. I like to hear of so many good outcomes and wish everyone lots of luck. I had difficulty with conceiving both my two children but they are now thankfully teenagers!

TigerLily666 · 16/01/2013 20:50

Hi

Thought I would give you an update since my post on Sun. Unfortunately I got a call today from the Birth Company that there wasn't enough fetal DNA in my blood sample to get a result from the Harmony test. So they will redo the test free of charge but I have to travel to London again. So back again on Friday. I knew there was a small risk of this but I'm feeling a bit down about it all tonight. I feel that I'm no further forward and time is running out as I'm now 15 weeks pregnant. Wish me luck.

holldoll · 18/01/2013 10:51

Just wanted to post quickly - I had my nuchal yesterday at FMC, harmony results were fine. I had a really positive experience, an amazingly patient doctor as the baby wouldn't get into the right position. So after 3 hours, several walks and food we finally got all the measurements needed.
I would thoroughly recommend them and I'm now considering going back for my 20 week scan.
Good luck to everyone waiting for results

HelloLA · 23/01/2013 21:02

Hello everyone,

I had the Materniti21 test a few weeks before Christmas, after being given a 1:150 risk for Downs based on nuchal scan measurement.

I'm 32. My nuchal was 2.9, and my hospital classed that as 'high end of normal'. I can't remember being given my PAPP-A and HcG results, and I doubt they were included in calculating the 1:150 risk, since they'd only just drawn the blood when they told me. The doctor recommended Materniti21, and I had the blood sample drawn there and then, since I knew I'd only worry about it. I hadn't actually given much thought to genetic testing before this screening, so was taken off-guard by (what I perceived to be) a borderline result. Did a lot of Googling when I got home, tried to understand it all, and especially appreciated this section of Mumsnet.

As others have said, it took two weeks to get the result (even though I'm in LA and the sample only had to go down the road to San Diego!). Thankfully, it was good news, and they also told me the gender.

Here in the US, my hospital's 'sticker price' for the test is about $1300 (I don't know what we'll actually end up paying after all the insurance wrangles), so the private clinic cost in the UK really isn't bad. Even if it's not available on the NHS, I think it's important people at least hear about it, as it's so, so much less invasive than an amnio. All the staff at my prenatal diagnosis center were totally clued up on it, but at my regular ob-gyn clinic some of the nurses weren't really familiar, and I had to convince one that I actually got gender results that early!

Anyway, I've just had my second trimester scan (equivalent to 20-week scan in the UK) and, touch wood, everything looks okay. Aside from the Materniti21, my Integrated Screening results (NT scan plus NT bloods plus further blood test at 16-18 weeks) eventually came back with a 1:5000 Downs risk. If anything changes I'll update, but so far I'm happy with having taken the Materniti21.

Booka · 28/01/2013 10:15

I'm so glad I found this thread. Not sure if there are still ladies waiting for results or not but I've found the comments very helpful. I'm booked to go to the FMC on Thursday for a scan and bloods. I'll be 14+2. Worried about waiting for the results as I'm a really worrier and finding it hard to think of anything else at the moment. Good luck to anyone waiting for results.

BadMissM · 28/01/2013 13:00

Booka... had my results a couple of weeks ago, but it was thanks to this thread that I found out about the Harmony test at all, and I'm so glad I did. They are so nice, talk to them, ask them questions, and I'm sure they will calm you down. They did clam me down, and I'm a terrible worrier! Good luck!

Booka · 28/01/2013 13:22

Thankyou BadMissM. I hope your results gave you peace of mind. I only found out about the test after talking to the charity ARC. The lovely lady was very helpful and told me about the test and that they recommended the FMC.

BadMissM · 29/01/2013 11:16

Booka Yes, they did, less than 1 in 10,000, which as I'm 45, made me feel a lot calmer about everything.... The FMC were very professional and very good. It was from this thread that I found out about them, and went, and even though is a 600 mile round trip, it was worth it.

Booka · 29/01/2013 14:13

BadMissM I'm so pleased your results are negative. It's nice to know a clinic are professional and friendly before you go. 600 is a long trip but as you say worth it for peace of mind. I wish you lots of luck with your pregnancy, I hope you can relax and enjoy it now. My first pregnancy was a result of IVF after 6 years we got lucky on our third go. I was so up tight I really didn't relax until about 35 weeks so felt I missed out. This pregnancy was a magic natural, so just as precious but a real shock. I was hoping to enjoy it this time as it will be my last chance but I guess things never go as planned. Thankyou for your replies and again good luck with your pregnancy :0)

BadMissM · 29/01/2013 14:17

Hey Booka This one's definitely a 'last chance' at 45! When I had DD 14 years ago, had just had a child stillborn at 7 months after a botched amnio, so was terrified to enjoy the pregnancy. In a way the Harmony Test has left me more free to enjoy this one....especially as after having it found my Trust still doesn't offer comined/nuchal whatever your age...

I've had 2 friends finally get pregnant whilst waiting for IVF!

Grapesmum · 29/01/2013 14:31

Hi all

Just thought I'd give a quick update. I found this thread so helpful as there is such limited information around on the Harmony test. I went to the Fetal medicine centre on 14th Jan at 16 weeks after my NHS combined screening have me 1:373 risk at age 31. They did a detailed anomaly scan and saw no soft markers for down syndrome and my baby BOY looked perfect (also got to find out gender!). The sonographer was very thorough and seemed very experienced. After the scan she said it was very unlikely in her opinion that the baby would have a trisomy but recommended harmony for peace of mind as scans don't pick up all cases of down syndrome. We also got a DVD which is lovely to look at. Went straight in after for my blood test. I had heard they are often running very late but I got in early for my scan and I was finished everything in about an hour. I got my Harmony results yesterday after the full two weeks and thankfully I'm low risk for all three trisomies. The feeling of relief was indescribable. I'd fully recommend the FMC to anyone, although I paid £600, VERY pricey but worth it to me as my anxiety was so bad. Hope this helps others in a similar position

OrdinaryGirl · 02/02/2013 11:42

Thanks so much ladies for adding your experiences to this thread - it has been a rare and precious source of information for me. I can't believe how little discussion there is about it on tinternet.

I lurked here in December and on the basis of what I read, booked the Harmony test at the Fetal Medicine Centre for next Friday when I will be 10 weeks 4 days. They offered it free when I booked the nuchal translucency test for £180. I owe you guys bigtime because I wouldn't have even known about it as it's not advertised on their site.
Incidentally Spire in Cardiff offer the Harmony test alone for £750!!

Even though we're in Bristol, factoring in £90 train tickets and then again £90 a fortnight later, the FMC is still massively better value.
I think the FMC are only offering the Harmony test free between 10-11 weeks as they're trying to build the dataset on which they can base the reliability - perhaps with a view to eventually getting it rolled out on NHS.

From the other stuff I've read about it, it's still a 'screening' test but with lots more data it might become the closest thing you can get to a diagnostic in terms of reliability without an invasive test, which is obviously like the holy grail for antenatal testing.

Based on the rather limited information I've found, it seems as though false negatives are not possible, but there is a tiny chance of false positive, which obviously can be checked for definite with amnio / CVS.
Has anyone heard of a false negative with Harmony?

I only have 5 more days to wait for the blood draw and viability scan (don't even know if the little anklebiter has a heartbeat yet) and assuming all okay (and not twins - test doesn't work with twins. Sweet Moses what if it's TWINS??) it will be a long old 2 weeks until the results of the blood test come back from the States and they do the NT scan.

I will keep you posted as to my experiences and the results.

Meantime, I'm wondering whether to cancel NHS NT combined test. If the FMC really is the gold standard, I don't want to worry myself (like Artigene's experience) with a potentially negative scary reading from NHS' inferior equipment and possibly less experienced sonographers. But then more data is better, right? And what if FMC don't get a decent sample or on the day, the baby's lying the wrong way for the NT?

On the other hand I'd prefer to limit the ultrasound exposure to the baby to what's absolutely necessary. Am broadly content with safety of ultrasound but have been slightly disquieted by some research I've read...that has not put me off the recommended tests but has definitely decided me that I won't be getting a 4D 'fun' scan. Hmm
Would really welcome your thoughts. Smile

BadMissM · 02/02/2013 15:14

OrdinaryGirl FMC were excellent, I was really convinced that it was all worth the money. Like you say, they are also offering it at that point at that price for research, which I'm proud to be part of if it means this can be brought to everyone. The money from the FMC is going to the FMF to try and make it available to everyone....

I was told there was a miniscule chance of a false positive, but not of false negative.

I know it's a tense time while waiting, but the results are well worth it!

I have finally been given an NHS blood screening last week, but was told my results would probably be high by the way they calculate it (seems insane...). But I'm 45, and maternal weight is also counted against you.... My PCT doesn't offer Nuchal Screening either.

Ultrasounds.... DD had about 25, was a really difficult and complicated pregnancy, and in France they will scan as much as neccessary...and she's a grumpy stroppy teenager fine!

OrdinaryGirl · 02/02/2013 18:50

BadMissM you are lovely to provide such a lightning response Smile Thanks Delighted that you got a negative and that the Harmony scan & FMC were a good experience. I loled about your teenage daughter Grin and that is reassuring about all the ultrasounds.

I think I will go ahead and have the NHS combined & NT test as well, (it's MAD that your trust didn't offer it) and will steel myself to be rational and pragmatic and trusting if the results differ wildly from the FMC's.

Good to know about the false -ve / +ve points. That does chime in with what I've gathered so far.

I do get a bit frustrated that as a pregnant woman who is actually the main person affected by what happens, you have to be Sherlock bloody Holmes to piece all this stuff together by yourself. I sort of feel the companies providing the blood tests should update their websites on a rolling basis with the number of women who have had the test, and the associated accuracy rates as they become available, so that we can be properly informed.

The data available to pregnant women on the Ariosa site seems so condescending and general (I'm assuming the largely non-pregnant clinicians get the full story) and in this day and age, where most in developed countries have Internet access, and lots of women have degrees / topnotch health awareness / minds like sabres, it just isn't really good enough.

Anyways... #1 stepdaughter has adorably made us chilli for dinner so I need to haul my sorry behind off the sofa and eat it.

Á bientôt. Xx

BadMissM · 03/02/2013 19:45

OrdinaryGirl It's pretty lucky that we have minds like sabres...we need them to be Sherlock bloody Holmes to find out what's happening!

I'm steeling myself to be rational about the NHS blood test...I know it will be a high-risk result, through my age and nothing else...

It's amazing that we have got as far as we have with the paltry amounts of information available. None of the midwives I've seen have heard of the Harmony Test, and only the Senior Consultant had!

A bientot et bonne chance xxx

mommymia · 05/02/2013 15:10

I had a non-invasive prenatal test for my latest pregnancy at my usual clinic - the London Ultrasound Centre.
They gave me the Harmony prenatal test and I got the results in less than 2 weeks. The waiting is a killa but am soooo happy I could have this test on my third baby as I'm not getting any younger and the thought of having a CVS or amnio terrifies me.
Test results were all good so I'm a very happy bunny! Smile

alm83 · 05/02/2013 21:28

Dear all,

I just would like to thank all of you for posting about the Harmony test and the FMC. I had a second NT scan yesterday at the Fetal Medicine Centre after my NHS results came back to 1:154. Although the results were still within the 'low risk' category, I panicked by the fact it was so close to the threshold! (I am 29) Well, I had a fantastic experience at the FMC, I phoned in the morning and they gave me an appointment for the same day in the afternoon, they measured loads more and the baby looks healthy. My results were re-assessed and they came back at 1:657. That was already a huge relief. However, because my blood levels were a bit off the 'normal' I will take the Harmony test on Friday, just for piece of mind... I am 13 weeks and 2 days... I really hope it will all be fine! Good luck to all of you as well! Smile

Positive38 · 06/02/2013 15:32

Hi Ladies, really glad I found this site and this post as i had a harmony test yesterday at the FMC.
I am 38 and our scan was perfect at 12 weeks although a local hospital we were scanned by sonographers from kings college so was very indepth.
we told everyone our good news only to get the call Monday that we are high risk.!!
has been awful few days:
basically i have high HCG of 3 and PAPPA of 0.65 add to that our IVF pregnancy and my age and got risk of 1:34
after discussing that we didnt want intrusive CVS as i couldnt face miscarrying we went into london luckily we are only an hour away, got an appointment same day and was treated so well.
I am 13 weeks today so had nuchal checked and bloods this came back same as NHS but scan was perfect not one downs marker at all!!
she thinks its likely we will get a negative for Downs but am petrified and feel so down and worried.
worst thing is is take 14 days anyone had it back sooner????
thanks for reading xx

Positive38 · 06/02/2013 15:33

do most ladies who come back high Risk end up ok?? seems so many false Positives on NHS screening

BadMissM · 06/02/2013 18:50

positive 38 and Alm83 I am really glad that I went for the test. My trust didn't even want to give me a test, then did grudgingly last week. I got the results from the NHS test today. Just a blood test, no Nuchal.... 1 in 15.

My Harmony Test, much better, much more detailed, with Nuchal.... less than 1 in 10,000 for all 3 trisomies. Luckily I had this 2 weeks ago, so I'm not panicking. If you read the thread, most high-risk ladies have been fine one here xxxx

Positive 38 They calmed me down completely at the FMC. The 2 weeks waiting is hard, but mine was even worse than yours on NHS, and I'm 45, and everything was fine.... Don't worry and if you want a moan on here, we're here to listen xxx