Should I have a private NIPT today - advice needed asap

[SJ08]

I had decided to wait for my nhs scan which is on the 13th when i will be 13 weeks. However, anxiety has gotten to me, and I can see space for a private nipt today. Would you do it? For context, I am 40, have one perfect child already but had to have a TFMR before that at 15 weeks for reasons unrelated to anything the nipt would pick up. It's also 5-7 working days for results which potentially means I wont have a result until my nhs scan anyway. My husband says to just wait until the nhs scan now, but I can't shake the fear that they tell me im high risk and then will have to wait for a week or two to find out for sure if anything is wrong. We haven't had a scan since before 8 weeks either. Any advice on what you would do would be appreciated!

Early pregnancy is so hard for this exact reason. I just wanted a little trap door so I could peek in and make sure everything was ok.

For me, I wouldnt. As you've said you won't get the results until basically the time of your scan anyway and if something flags on the private test, I think the NHS redo it anyway so it will actually be longer that you'll be hanging around with knowledge that there could be a problem. That said, if money is no object and it would reassure you then do what you need to. I've always gone privately for early scans as something about seeing the heartbeat gets me through to that first NHS appointment.

Is there something else you can do to help you feel grounded today? Pregnancy stretching or a brisk walk out for some lunch?

At 40, I’d be tempted to go for it, as the combined test can be skewed by age (I think age alone puts you in high chance) and so you have the prospect of waiting, getting a falsely high high chance result and still having to wait for a NIPT result. Good luck!

*Not always. I’m 43 and already have a child with Down’s syndrome and my CT result ended up being 1 in nearly 2,400, but I’m still glad I had the NIPT first (also low chance) as it’s a lot more accurate than the combined test, so a lot more reassuring than the latter!

I live in a country where NIPT is standard for everyone. I would do it!

Thank you so much for all your advice. I read the first reply from @Firstsuggestions and decided to try to make the most of the nice weather and we went out for lunch with our toddler to take my mind off it.
I am still worried about the combined test, but I guess in a way, now the option of a nipt with potential result before the NHS scan has passed, I can try to move on and just process the fact I will likely come back with a high chance due to my age. £400 is a lot of money and we did it with our first, as we hadnt had the results of our tfmr yet and wanted to rule out as much as possible, but now I feel like we should save the money to spend on our toddler and just hope everything will come back ok. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

Yes I would, but when I had mine done (it was 5 years ago!) it took min 5 days anyway (mine ended up taking 16 due to lost samples/ broken machines!)

Also OP do you know what your trust does? Mine now sends high risk samples for further DNa testing and informs the mother of that result rather than cause unnecessary worry- in which case a high result gets a free NIPT test anyway.

The NHS does the NIPT as part of the 12 week scan. It's not uncommon for it to take place between the 11th and 14th weeks, so 13 weeks is perfectly fine. I say that as someone with a history of recurrent loss, my anxiety was right through the roof. This is my first baby I was more concerned with there being a baby there instead of the NIPT. I saw a little bean wriggling around and that was a huge relief to me. I know it's so much easier said than done (trust me on this), but please try to not worry and please save your money.

The NHS only does the NIPT if the scan shows a higher risk result. And then the results take a while, mine took over 10 days. The NHS screening with your age is more likely to put you in a hushed risk category I would get the NIPT now if money wasn’t a problem.

i was in the same boat! 39, awaiting my 12 week scan and wanting the reassurance. I decided to wait as the money would be useful elsewhere, but then baby wouldn't cooperate! I have a retroverted uterus and babe was enjoying a lie back in a comfy pocket. As it was over c'mas I couldnt get another combined screening date and they offered me quads which only tests for one trisomy (the one which I'd be least concerned about). as this pregnancy was the result of 5 rounds of ivf, and as I've had 2 mcs, and just thought... what's another £400 in exchange for woes to be crossed off my list. results came in about 3 days (all good news).