Non-invasive prenatal chromosome testing

Non-invasive prenatal chromosome testing

We offer the very latest in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) which assesses the risks of conditions such as Down’s Syndrome.

Pregnant but worried about possible chromosome conditions? 

Non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) like the IONA test have been shown to perform better than traditional prenatal screening methods, and they avoid the risk of miscarriage associated with invasive diagnostic procedures such as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS).

Anyone can come to us for this test, whether you’ve had successful treatment with us, at another clinic, or have conceived naturally.

What is the IONA Non-Invasive Test?

The IONA non-invasive test is a simple, non-invasive blood test. Available from 10 weeks of pregnancy, it involves a sample of your blood being taken by our nurses at our clinic. This sample is then sent for analysis to a specialist laboratory in the UK.

The test determines the risk to your baby of various Trisomies - chromosome conditions caused by three copies of a particular chromosome instead of two. DNA circulates from your baby in your own blood during pregnancy, Yourgene analyses this DNA via your own blood.

The test assesses the risks of:

What is the IONA Non-Invasive Test?

How does it work?

The NIPT test from Yourgene is the most sensitive, validated and safest test available. It is simply a single blood test taken from your arm. In pregnancy, some fragments of the fetal DNA circulate in the maternal bloodstream and are even detectable as early as week 5 of the pregnancy. The quantity increases as the age of the pregnancy increases and from the 10th week of pregnancy, there is a sufficient quantity to guarantee an accurate result.

Reliability and sensitivity of the test

One vial of blood is collected and sent to the laboratory in the UK. The test is available for singleton and twin pregnancies and all IVF pregnancies. The reliability and sensitivity of the test is outstanding with the test being reliable at even a low fetal fraction (FF>2%) with an incidence of false positives of <0.1%. The latest data shows an incidence rate of 0% false negatives. A clinical validation study was performed on a cohort of over 12,000 pregnant women.

How many different tests are there?

IONA NIPT testing is offered to pregnant women to assess their fetus to see if it is at risk with any of the following:

Autosomal Aneuploidies (AAs)

• Trisomy 21 (Down’s syndrome)

• Trisomy 18 (Edwards’ syndrome)

• Trisomy 13 (Patau’s syndrome)

• All additional trisomies (optional)

• All monosomies (optional)

Fetal sex determination (optional)

 

Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies (SCAs) (optional)

• 45,X (Turner syndrome) 

• 47,XXX (Trisomy X) 

• 47,XXY (Klinefelter syndrome) 

• 47,XYY (Jacob’s syndrome)

 

How accurate is the result of the test?

The IONA test is an early and highly-accurate test which unlike traditional testing such as amniocentesis or CVS carries no risk to your baby. Studies show it is over 99% accurate with <1% false positive rate for Trisomy 21,18 and 13.

How long does the test take?

Depending upon which IONA test you choose, your results will usually be available within 2-5 working days from receipt of the test at the laboratory, typically around the time you would go for your first trimester 12 week scan. 

Deciding if the test is right for you

The IONA test does not detect all fetal abnormalities. If your test result shows a high risk that your baby has a chromosome condition, it is not a definite diagnosis, although the accuracy of the IONA test means it’s highly unlikely your test result would be inaccurate. In the event of a positive result, you will be referred back to your NHS care provider for follow-up testing. 

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FAQs

How can I get an appointment with Manchester Fertility?

You do not need a referral for an appointment with us. You can self-refer.

How do we find the best fertility clinic for us?

Firstly visit the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s website (HFEA) for a list of registered clinics local to you. Then ring up the fertility clinic and ask for brochures or information, or visit the clinic’s website. Don’t be afraid to go and tour the clinic. At Manchester Fertility you can book in for an informal, free 'one-to-one' appointment so that you can come and visit us, our friendly team will be on hand to answer any questions you might have.

How much does IVF or fertility treatment cost?

IVF costs vary depending on which clinic you choose. You will need to pay for the initial consultation, any pre-treatment tests or scans, and then for the actual treatment itself and any necessary medications. For more details, see our prices page

I’m in a same-sex relationship and we would like to have a family. Can you help us?

Yes, we welcome many same-sex couples through our doors for pregnancy help, in fact we have a great reputation for it - whether you need treatment with donor sperm or donor eggs. For information about the fertility treatments we offer to help you, visit our donation section

I already have a child but I am having problems getting pregnant again. Is there something wrong with me?

Secondary infertility – the inability to have a second or third child despite have a successful pregnancy before – is not uncommon. But you may be worrying over nothing. Remember, infertility isn’t defined until you have been having regular, unprotected intercourse for up to two years without falling pregnant, so it could just be that this time it’s taking longer than before to conceive. Your age could also be a factor, remember that fertility starts to decline from age 30 onwards and even more so from age 35. But if you think you need fertility help, don’t hesitate seeing your GP or contact us,

Can I get IVF treatment on the NHS?

The provision of IVF treatment varies across the country, and often depends on local NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) policies.

ICBs may have additional criteria you need to meet before you can have IVF on the NHS, such as:

  • not having any children already, from both your current and any previous relationships
  • being a healthy weight
  • not smoking
  • falling into a certain age range (for example, some ICBs only fund treatment for women under 35)

Ask your GP or contact your local integrated care board (ICB) to find out whether NHS-funded IVF treatment is available in your area.

Do you offer fertility treatment via the NHS?

No, we do not offer fertility treatment on the NHS as we are a wholly private fertility clinic. However certain Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will consider allowing you to transfer the funding for your NHS IVF cycles to us. If you’re eligible for fertility treatment on the NHS, you may be able to Transferring your NHS funded IVF treatment unit but would firstly need to discuss this with your CCG.  More information can be found from Fertility Network UK.

I want to get pregnant but I’m over 40 years of age, can you help me conceive?

Yes. However, you need to consider the fact that live birth rates for older women in their mid-40s, who wish to use their own eggs to conceive, is generally extremely low. Your options will include ovarian stimulation, and intrauterine insemination or IVF. Dependent upon your individual case, you may need to consider using donor eggs to get pregnant. For more details, call us on 0161 300 2737. You can also read our Guide for Women over 40.

What hours are you open?

Being flexible with our opening times is vital for our patients at Manchester Fertility. We always aim to see you at times convenient to you. Our current opening times are shown on our contact page. You will always see the most appropriate staff member for your needs.

What is the EmbryoGlue Treatment you offer?

EmbryoGlue is not a treatment we charge extra for – we use it as a supplement to the culture media used in the development of your embryo in our laboratory. We started using it because studies have shown it helps improve the chances of pregnancy by encouraging your embryo to implant successfully. It is a culture medium that mimics the natural molecules and fluids you’d find in your own body if you were going through pregnancy naturally.

Your embryo is placed into the EmbryoGlue just prior to transfer – and the properties it contains helps the embryo ‘stick’ to your uterus. Once an embryo transfer is carried out, we can never guarantee it will successfully implant for pregnancy – but 13 separate studies have concluded that the use of EmbryoGlue, thanks to its high levels of hyaluronan, increases both clinical pregnancy rates and live births. And so we now use EmbryoGlue for all embryo transfers at no extra cost to you. For more information about EmbryoGlue, you can visit this link.

"We are eternally grateful for the support and assistance we received during our treatment."

Emma and Darren, Mar 2019