Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) is a comprehensive prenatal screening test that provides important genetic information about a developing pregnancy. Screened via a blood sample, this test can determine the chance of common chromosomal conditions in a developing baby.

Our Non Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) is called nest™ and can be done as early as 10 weeks with a simple blood sample.

What does nest™ screen for?

Chromosomes typically come in pairs. Most individuals have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Nest™ looks for too few or too many copies of chromosomes.

Nest™ uses a whole genome approach which provides information about all 23 pairs of chromosomes in addition to large chromosomal deletions or duplications. The most common chromosomal conditions include trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edward syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), all of which can be accurately screened. Nest™ also screens for sex chromosome conditions, including Turner syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Triple X syndrome and Jacob syndrome, as well as reporting the sex of the baby.

Why choose SUFW for NIPT?

Our comprehensive model of care is designed around best patient outcomes. Choosing Sydney Ultrasound for Women for NIPT affords patients access to a pre-NIPT viability scan, first trimester maternal serum biochemistry for pre-eclampsia screening and access to our experienced genetic counselling team. A pre-NIPT viability ultrasound has been shown to change patient management in 1:10 cases (Brown et al., 2020).

Who is it for?

Nest™ NIPT screening is suitable for all women at 10 weeks or greater gestation with singleton and twin pregnancies. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) recommends that all pregnant women are offered timely prenatal screening for fetal chromosome conditions in the first trimester of pregnancy. It is recommended that women are offered the option of NIPT or first trimester combined screening as a first-line test (RANZCOG, 2022).

How does NIPT work?

A sample of your blood is drawn and the genetic material (DNA) from you and your baby is screened for common chromosome conditions.

What do my nest™ results mean?

Although more accurate than traditional screening methods, nest™ is not a diagnostic test. This means it can’t give you a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

Your results will tell you and your doctor whether your pregnancy is at increased chance of common chromosome conditions. In the case of a high probability result, your doctor and genetic counsellor will discuss what the results mean to your pregnancy as well as further testing options to consider.

Your test will include one of two possible results:

  • Low probability – means the expected number of chromosomes were found.
  • High probability – means too many or too few copies of one of the chromosomes have been identified. This indicates an increased chance of a chromosome condition, but does not mean your pregnancy is affected with that condition. Consideration of diagnostic testing is recommended for confirmation.

NIPT Genetic Counselling

Our experienced genetic counselling team are available for both referrers and patients. In the event of a high probability result our team will contact the referrer in the first instance and are available to assist with results disclosure and support.

Nest™ provides fast report time to the requesting doctor or clinic: most results are available 5-7 business days after sample receipt.

How do I get started?

Your GP or Obstetrician is the best place to start, ask for a referral for an NIPT test and then we can book you an appointment for a pre-NIPT ultrasound scan and blood collection.

You can contact any of our clinics or use the form below to make an appointment.

Common Questions

A sample of your blood is drawn and the genetic material (DNA) from you and your baby is tested. Sydney Ultrasound for Women’s Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) is called nest™. It uses an advanced technology called ‘massively parallel sequencing’ to analyse millions of DNA fragments per sample and accurately count the number of chromosomes present.

Chromosomes typically come in pairs. Most individuals have 23 pairs of chromosomes. NIPT looks for extra or missing copies of chromosomes in a fetus. Our nest™ test uses a whole genome approach which provides information about all 23 pairs of chromosomes in addition to large chromosomal deletions or duplications. The most common chromosomal conditions in pregnancy include trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edward syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), all of which can be accurately screened. In singleton pregnancies, nest™ also screens for sex chromosome conditions, including Turner syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Triple X syndrome and Jacob syndrome. You can also elect to have the sex of the baby reported to you if desired.

Although more accurate than traditional prenatal screening methods, nest™ is not a diagnostic test. This means it can’t give you a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Your results will tell you and your doctor whether your pregnancy is at increased chance of common chromosome conditions. In the case of a high probability result, your doctor and a Sydney Ultrasound for Women Genetic Counsellor will discuss what the results mean to your pregnancy as well as further testing options to consider.

Your test will include one of two possible results:

  • Low probability – means the expected number of chromosomes were found.
  • High probability – means too many or too few copies of one of the chromosomes have been identified. This indicates an increased chance of a chromosome condition but does not mean your pregnancy is affected with that condition. Consideration of prenatal diagnostic testing is recommended for confirmation, and Sydney Ultrasound for Women can provide this within 48 hours.

For those expecting twins, rest assured that NIPT is still an accurate screening option for chromosomal conditions. The test is available for twin pregnancies, offering critical insights into the health of your babies.

When it comes to determining the sex of twins, however, the process depends on whether or not a Y chromosome is detected. If there is a Y chromosome present, that can indicate at least one baby is a boy. If there is no Y chromosome present, that indicates that both babies are likely to be girls. NIPT is unable to confirm if both twins are boys, however. This information can be later confirmed by ultrasound at 20 weeks.

Our team of expert nurses and genetic counsellors can talk to you about this in more detail at your appointment. Should you have immediate questions or need more information regarding NIPT for twin pregnancies, we encourage you to call us on 1300 557 226.

*Blood test for pre-eclampsia screening available in first trimester only. Out-of-pocket costs apply for patients without Medicare.