Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing, or NIPT, is a blood test taken from mum at around 11 weeks of pregnancy or later, to screen for the chance of certain chromosomal abnormalities.
During pregnancy the placenta releases some of its DNA into your bloodstream, so your blood has both your DNA and some from the placenta. This is what NIPT measures. If NIPT finds more DNA than expected for chromosomes 21, 18 or 13 in your blood it could mean that your baby has Down’s syndrome, Edward’s syndrome or Patau’s syndrome.
The test is a SCREENING test and so results come back as a chance or likelihood. It does not give you a definite yes or no. For a definite yes or no, you need a DIAGNOSTIC test such as CVS or amniocentesis. These diagnostic tests do carry a small risk of miscarriage and are invasive, so they are not normally offered to everyone as a first option. If screening shows a high likelihood of baby having a chromosomal abnormality, a diagnostic test is then offered.
Because NIPT looks at baby/placental DNA, it is also possible to find out if baby is a little boy or a little girl, if you want to.