A non-invasive DNA screening test (NIPT), safe both mother for and baby, that offer important information about fetus as early as 9 weeks of gestation. “Embryoitriki-Genetiki” was the first to introduce and apply NIPT in Greece, selecting the Panorama test (Natera S.A., California, USA) due to its high detection rates of 99% for Down syndrome. Learn about the benefits of this examination below.

What is Non-invasive Prenatal Testing?

NIPT is a cutting-edge method for

  • Assess the fetus for common chromosomal abnormalities, like Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability, affecting 1 in 700 newborns, the risk of which increases with maternal age. Somewhat rarer abnormalities examined, such as Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), affect 1 in 7000 births and typically result in early neonatal death.
  • Find out the sex of your baby
  • Identify the fetus’s blood type. This is crucial because around 10% of women are Rh-negative. If the fetus is Rh-positive, the mother may develop antibodies that attack fetal red blood cells, potentially leading to fetal death between 18 and 25 weeks.

Non-invasive Prenatal Testing may be recommended if:

  • Nuchal scan and PAPP-A screening indicate moderate risk for Down syndrome.
  • The mother is over 35 years of age, especially over 40.

When is NIPT performed?

Tests using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technology, such as Panorama (Natera S.A., California, USA), offer high detection rates and can be performed from the 9th week of pregnancy.

Getting your results

The sample is sent to Natera’s laboratories, and results are available within approximately 2 weeks. There is a 5% chance that results may not be available due to technical reasons, in which case the test is repeated free of charge.

As a screening test –not a diagnostic one, NPT provides a reliable indication of whether further testing may be needed.

Do I need further testing after NIPT?

Yes. NIPT does not assess for structural abnormalities such as heart defects, or brain malformations. For that, we strongly recommend that except the non-invasive screening tests (nuchal, anatomy, and Doppler) you should undergo:

  • A chorionic villus sampling or
  • An amniocentisis

Why should I choose Non-invasive prenatal testing?

Because NIPT analyzes fetal DNA fragments in maternal blood without risking pregnancy complications or miscarriage. Furthermore, tests like Panorama have been validated in numerous studies. In combination with advanced genetic analysis algorithms, they enable detection of Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities with sensitivity and specificity exceeding 99%.

Χρειάζονται επιπλέον εξετάσεις;

Η μέθοδος ανίχνευσης ελεύθερου εμβρυικού DNA (ffDNA) στο αίμα της μητέρας μας δίνει πολύτιμες πληροφορίες αλλά, δεν πρέπει να ξεχνάμε τη βασικότερη ίσως υπερηχογραφική εξέταση Προγεννητικού Ελέγχου, την Αυχενική Διαφάνεια στις 11-14 εβδομάδες και μετά, στο 2ο τρίμηνο της κύησης το υπερηχογράφημα  Β΄ Επιπέδου για την εξέταση της ανατομίας του εμβρύου.