NIPT tests v NHS tests

[Sophie4113]

Can anyone help me work out whether it is worth having a NIPT test or just having the NHS blood tests for chromosome abnormalities? What is the difference?

As far as I can work out, both screen for Downs, Edwards and Patau, both involve a blood test and neither gives you a definitive yes or no answer, just a high or low risk score. So it seems that the only advantage of having a NIPT test is that you can have it at ten weeks, rather than at about sixteen weeks on the NHS.

Am I missing something?

I am nervous about paying for the NIPT test at ten weeks when there is still a significant miscarriage risk. Do they scan you first to check for a heartbeat?

Thanks x

I think you're misunderstanding what I am saying but that happens - some people think all people with Downs have no quality of life, can never work, live alone, will be in pain forever and die young. If one thinks all people with Downs will have those issues, they are wrong and making a choice based on false information.

It wasn't until I started midwifery that I realised how misinformed people are. Similarly, people fail to understand that many people don't terminate just because of the diagnosis, but because of the complications that come with the diagnosis as you almost correctly listed. So it wasn't that they had Downs - it was that they had a major cardiac issue.

There was a "pro life" study that concuded lots of babies were aborted "just" for having a cleft palate - actually, many if not most of these babies had a cleft palate which alerted staff to other, more complex issues. Some of which meant life outside the womb would be limited and likely traumatic for all.

Also, invasive testing might be the reason for the increased risk of premature labour.

The risk of a miscarriage with CVS / Amnio is about 1-2%. There’s a higher risk of getting into a car accident but we don’t see pregnant women being counselled against getting into a car.