What is the PrenatalSAFE Screening Test?
When you’re pregnant, your blood contains fragments of your baby’s DNA. The PrenatalSAFE test is a type of test that analyses this DNA in a sample of your blood to assess the risk of:
- Down syndrome (trisomy 21)
- Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18)
- Patau syndrome (trisomy 13)
What is included in the PrenatalSAFE appointment?
The PrenatalSAFE Screening test and scan cost £450. It includes:
- 45minute – 1hr appointment
- A Viability / Early Pregnancy ultrasound scan and blood test
- Confirmation of gender at no additional cost if desired
- Further screening is available at no further cost for the Chromosome Aneuploidy Panel, this screening is for Turners syndrome, Triple X syndrome, Klinefelter’s syndrome and Jacobs syndrome
- A follow-up telephone call to discuss the results
Please note, should you need to cancel your appoint required, you will be refunded accordingly.
For All Women
Traditional screening tests can miss as many as 15% of Down’s syndrome cases in pregnant women. PrenatalSAFE screening was developed to be a more accurate prenatal Down’s Syndrome test for all women, regardless of age or risk. It is a non-invasive DNA-based blood test that has been extensively tested in pregnant women both over and under 35.
A More Accurate Test
The conventional screening offered on the NHS, at approximately 12 weeks of pregnancy will detect approximately 70-80% of pregnancies with Down syndrome. The PrenatalSAFE test detects over 99% and is offered between 10 weeks – 26 weeks of pregnancy.
Clarity Early
PrenatalSAFE screening requires a single blood sample taken from the mother’s arm and can be done as early as 10 weeks. The results will take approximately 7-10 working days to come back, and the nurse will contact you once the results are available.
Minimises Follow-up Tests
Compared to the traditional tests, the greater accuracy and lower false high-risk results with PrenatalSAFE Screening reduces the number of high-risk results. Therefore, fewer women will require follow up testing, using an invasive procedure, such as amniocentesis.
Fetal Sex Chromosomes
PrenatalSAFEscreening can also be used to evaluate X(female) and Y(male) sex chromosomes as early as 10 weeks. You have the option to test for further genetic conditions caused by an extra or missing copy of the X or Y chromosomes, including Turner and Klinefelter syndromes. (This is only available for singleton pregnancies).
Does a low-risk result mean that the baby does not have Down syndrome?
Not necessarily. The PrenatalSAFE test is a screening tool and not a diagnostic tool, but there is a risk that the screening result may give a ‘false negative’, however, the risk of this happening with the Prenatal Safe is much lower than with conventional Down’s syndrome screening.
If I have a high-risk result does that mean that the baby’s chromosomes are abnormal?
No, not necessarily. It means that there is a higher risk and you will be referred to a screening midwife. They will discuss the options available to you which may include a further scan and amniocentesis to assess the chromosomes directly. You will be offered support and counselling to help you reach that decision.
What if I have twins?
The PrenatalSAFE Screening is a non-invasive prenatal screening and technology can be applied to twin pregnancies, but is not suitable in the unfortunate event where a twin has not survived.
Will I always get a result?
Unfortunately, 3 out of 100 women will require a repeat blood test as the blood sample may not be able to be processed due to the complex quality control for these genetic tests or the sample may not contain enough fetal DNA for accurate analysis.
When a repeat sample is required approximately two-thirds of these samples will be processed successfully. Patients can have up to 3 blood tests at no extra cost in order to process the screening but no further screening will be offered if these are all unsuccessful.
How will I receive my results?
The nurse will call you when your results are available and discuss the screening results with you.
The results are usually available within 4 – 7 working days. We recommend you continue with all NHS screening offered to you and request that the PrenatalSAFE Screening results be shared with your midwife. PrenatalSAFE Screening is not considered a diagnostic test, if the results indicate a high risk, you will be referred to a screening midwife for further screening.
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