Where to get Harmony Test?

[oldmumsomanyquestions]

I'm an older pregnant woman (43) - first pregnancy. Want to get the harmony test - if you've had one where would you recommend? I'm 10+4 so need to get moving.
Thanks

The Beard Mill Clinic- Oxfordshire. Absolutely excellent and a doctor that really knows her stuff.

If you're near London, the fetal medicine centre do a package which is excellent.

Thanks both - should have said I'm based in London - the FMC is a name I keep hearing so will def look at them.

Hi, I haven't had one but had a higher risk score for downs on my nuchal test. I called the coordinators number on the hospital letter and she gave me the names and numbers for two consultants at our local hospital who do the tests. My midwife also knew the name of one of them. So maybe just ask your midwife. Hope all is well with you and your little one.

Hi Also Baby Bond centres do the NIPT + scan for £399 and they're all around! Been there for other scans and they're really friendly in there :)

Thanks all. Have just phoned FMC and had really bad experience so bit flummoxed.

Is this the non invasive one? Wouldn't your mw ask I you wanted it and would sort it out at a local hospital?

Hi Blondeshavemorefun I don't think you can get it on NHS yet so looking at private clinics.

I went with the Birth Company on Harley street. Very professional and they are also open on saturdays.

What was the bad experience oldmum? I was going to say FMC - I went there and they were great - and a very well priced package too (10 week scan + harmony + 12 week scan for £400). They really are experts in pre natal testing and their scans are very very detailed. If you want a scan as well as the harmony I would recommend them. If you just want the harmony I guess it doesn't matter.

It's not available on the NHS but you'll probably find there are consultants who do this privately at your local hospital. They certainly do at our one. I'd just ask your midwife for a recommendation.

I had a great experience with the FMC. Harmony test at 15 weeks, along with a really detailed 'mini' anomaly scan. The sonographer was great and the quality of pictures fantastic. My result came back nice and quickly.

Given your age though, have you checked with your hospital whether or not you can have it done there? I think UCH, Kings, and the Whittington offer it now.

If you are willing to travel out I can recommend the Surrey Park Clinic in Guildford, had ours there earlier this year, think it was £399 which also included a scan. One of the receptionists is a little scatty but apart from that a good experience :)

I had mine at the FMC and would say that it was a good experience in that it was efficient, thorough and professional. It wasn't the most friendly experience I have ever had but to be honest I would take professional and efficient over friendly every time. .

Results were back in good time and the scan picked up a potential issue with the baby's heart and so I had a antenatal cardiac scan at 20 weeks which I was grateful to have on the NHS (and the issue turned out to have resolved itself as the baby'stuff heart matured).

Good luck.

Another for FMC, just done the £400 package so early viability scan, Harmony and NT scan at 12 weeks. Very good and no issues with the service at all.

Thanks all - think I'm going with FMC - the bad experience was related to reception staff and they all seem pretty abrupt at every clinic I've phoned - guess it's just part of the fertility/pregnancy money making machine.

im blonde lol, but whats the difference between the 12w one via nhs and the harmony that you pay for?

I had it organised through my NHS hospital. We paid for it privately.

Nifty is an alternative, but I have no London recommendations.

Blondes the standard 12 week NHS screening tells you the % risk that your baby has Downs/Edwards/Patau, based on the scan and some hormone tests. It doesn't give you a definitive answer. So for example you'd be told "based on your blood hormones and the scan, we think there is a 1 in 2000 chance the baby has Downs". Anything higher than 1 in 150 is "high risk" and you can have further (invasive) testing if you want. However (a) obviously even those with "high risk" results may well not have Downs - a 1 in 150 chance is still very small and on the flip side (b) there are lots of babies born with Downs (about 25% I think?) whose mothers were given a "low risk" result. So it's not terribly accurate.

The Harmony/NIPT test is definitive - it's looking for fragments of foetal DNA in the mothers' blood I think and checking the chromosomes of that. So you don't get a "risk percentage" you get told "yes Downs" or "no Downs". It's about 98% accurate for Downs I believe and the 2% wrong answers are false positives so if you got a positive you could then have an invasive test if you wanted to be absolutely sure.

I think the blood all gets tested at the same facility anyway. I had mine done at the Portland. X

I went to the FMC. I didn't think much of the reception staff there at all but the doctors and sonographers that we saw were all really good. I had the package which included scans when the bloods were taken and when you got the results. I wouldn't let the reception staff put you off (although I really think they could do better given how much you are paying!).

The other place I have been for early scans (not had Harmony there) is the Birth Company which is run by Donald Gibb. It's in the same building as the FMC and they are very nice there. I think they are more expensive for Harmony though.

FMC is great. I've had the Harmony there twice.

I can also vouch for the FMC. I had the harmony and scans package, and they were very professional. My baby was difficult to scan and they spent over an hour making sure they saw everything, including me going for a wee, coughing, doing jumping jacks and all sorts to get him to shift position.

Another one for the FMC - I recommend the viability scan/harmony/nuchal scan package - £400 for the three, instead of £500 for just the Harmony.