The advancements in assisted reproductive technology or ART have made it so that individuals or couples of any background now have the opportunity to build their own families.
NIPT stands for non-invasive prenatal testing, a blood test performed during pregnancy to screen for genetic abnormalities, such as Down’s syndrome. It can be performed as early as nine weeks and the results usually take one to two weeks to return.
NIPT was first introduced in 2011 and was developed to reduce the need for invasive prenatal tests such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis, procedures in which a needle is directly entered into the uterus which carry a risk of miscarriage.
A recent article in the The New York Times discussed some of limitations of NIPT testing. It is important to understand NIPT is a SCREENING test, NOT a DIAGNOSTIC test. In other words, it can assess risk, but it cannot confirm the presence of a genetic abnormality. If an NIPT result is abnormal, it could either be a true or false result, so the next step is to offer a CVS or amnio to confirm the findings.
I counsel all my patients about the benefits and limitations of NIPT and offer it to all my patients as it is a highly accurate screening test that can provide an immense amount of peace of mind early in the first trimester. It is important to have this conversation with your doctor or a genetic counselor to decide if NIPT is a good test for you.
Courtesy: @dr_meerashah
You Might Also Enjoy...
The advancements in assisted reproductive technology or ART have made it so that individuals or couples of any background now have the opportunity to build their own families.
Whether you are a busy cardiology resident, a successful business manager, or just not ready to start your family today, it’s important to consider your reproductive future and what that looks like for you.
The first live birth from IVF was back in 1978. Her name is Louise Brown, and she is often referred to as the first “test-tube baby.” The world of IVF has drastically changed since, and success rates have gone from single digits to nearly 50% today.
Approximately 15% of couples are diagnosed with unexplained or idiopathic infertility. For these couples, it can be frustrating to not know what exactly is causing their fertility issues.
At Nova IVF, we are dedicated to helping our patients get the best of care in terms of medical treatment, but we are also here to help support you mentally on your journey by providing the resources to help you make these important decisions.
Uterine fibroids are quite common, but not often talked about. By age 50, approximately 80% of all women will have developed fibroids in their life, yet we still don’t hear much about them or how they can impact women’s health.