What is NIPT?
NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing) is a blood test you can have from 10 weeks of pregnancy. It looks at small fragments of your baby’s DNA in your blood to screen for chromosomal conditions such as Down’s syndrome.
- From 10 weeks
- No risk to baby
- Results in about 5 working days
- No GP referral
How NIPT works
During pregnancy, small fragments of DNA from the placenta circulate in your blood. These closely reflect your baby’s DNA. The test counts these fragments to see whether there is extra or missing chromosome material.
What it screens for
All our NIPT tests screen for Down’s (trisomy 21), Edwards’ (trisomy 18) and Patau’s (trisomy 13) syndromes and sex chromosome conditions. Advance and Absolute add microdeletions. You can also choose to find out your baby’s sex.
Is it safe?
Yes. It’s a simple blood test from your arm, so there’s no risk to your baby or your pregnancy, unlike diagnostic tests such as CVS or amniocentesis.
Screening, not diagnosis
NIPT tells you whether there is a lower or higher chance of a condition. A higher-chance result needs to be confirmed with a diagnostic test before any decisions are made.
Our NIPT tests
| What’s screened | Most chosenStandard£295 | Advance£345 | Widest screenAbsolute£425 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down’s syndrome (trisomy 21) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Edwards’ syndrome (trisomy 18) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Patau’s syndrome (trisomy 13) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sex chromosome conditions: Turner, Klinefelter, Jacobs (XYY) and Triple X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Baby’s sex (optional) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 6 common microdeletions | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| 92 microdeletions | – | – | ✓ |
| Results in about 5 working days | Book | Book | Book |
More guides
Book your NIPT
From £295. A 15-minute visit at our Croydon clinic, with no GP referral.