ScanLinc is able to offer advice and counsel for couples wishing to undertake the Non-invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT)
This test has a much higher sensitivity than the current NT screening test offered by the NHS. The NIPT screen has the advantage of being a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) which could prevent unnecessary invasive tests such as amniocentesis.
The Non-invasive prenatal NIPT test is the most sensitive, validated and safe test available and it is simply a single blood test taken from the mothers arm.
In pregnancy some fragments of the fetal DNA circulate in the maternal bloodstream and are even detectable as early as week 5 of the pregnancy. The quantity increases as the age of the pregnancy increases and from the 10th week of pregnancy there is a sufficient quantity to guarantee an accurate and high specificity result.
One vial of blood is collected and sent to one of the groups state of the art laboratories. Results are available approximately 5 days from receipt of the sample. The test is available for singleton and twin pregnancies and all IVF pregnancies.
The reliability and sensitivity of the test is outstanding with the test being reliable at even a low fetal fraction (FF>2%) with an incidence of false positives of <0.1%. The latest data shows an incidence rate of 0% false negatives.
The test is well validated with performance data published in leading scientific journals. A clinical validation study was performed on a cohort of over 12,000 pregnant women.