FAQs

The results given by NIPT using maternal blood, though checks for chromosomal anomalies in the cell-free fetal DNA, it is still considered as screening; indicating in case of a positive report, a physician may chose for the confirmatory invasive tests like amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling (CVS) as per suspicion. These involve checking the amniotic fluid or cells from the chorionic villi directly for confirmation. These invasive procedures however bear a small risk of miscarriage. Similar is the case for serum-based antenatal screening tests. In case of positive risk prediction by a serum-double, triple or a quadruple marker test, the above confirmatory tests may be recommended.

The brand Matrnity is your one-stop for all antenatal/prenatal screening needs. The tests under Matrnity are the ones which are routinely prescribed by pregnancy care givers and includes both which are a necessity for routine screening and those which are specifically intended for the high-risk categories. The test menu has been designed to ensure a single diagnostic prescription can suffice a whole lot of mixed needs. Under the aegis of Thyrocare, an established preventive diagnostics and wellness service provider, Matrnity aims to be your affordable prenatal care partner.

Once you have decided the test as per your need or the physician prescription, you can click on the “Book My Test” tab under each test information. You will be redirected to the booking page wherein you can fill in all your details. The rest will be taken care of from our end.

The Turn Around Time (TAT) for each test under Matrnity has been listed under the test information page. The TAT ranges from 24 hours for the serum and EDTA-blood based tests to up to 48 hours for the double/triple/quadruple marker test, as these require additional documentary evidences from the patient end for report computation. The highest TAT is for the Karyotyping Couples test at 12 days, as it involves specialized laboratory processes.

PC-PNDT certification is required for the genomic screening tests under prenatal screening category. Our NIPT test is PC-PNDT approved.

Yes, all our diagnostic as well as screening tests under Matrnity have been validated.

Development of chromosomal aneuploidy in an embryo involves a combination of a number of risk factors and when taken in combination, the chances of roughly 60% in the first week of pregnancy. In such cases, the risk of spontaneous miscarriage is high. For a 12-week old embryo the chances of chromosomal aneuploidy is between 1- 2 %.

 No. Matrnity offers a plethora of options for a pregnancy care giver or a patient to chose from. The choice of test completely depends on need, history, affordability as well as acceptability.

Yes. Matrnity NIPT can be offered for twin pregnancies

Ultrasound (USG)

Maternal blood and serum testing

Karyotyping (Chromosomal structure and number analysis)

Non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT)

Amniocentesis

Chorionic Villi Sampling (CVS)

Carrier screening tests

Single-gene or panel gene testing

A written informed consent is imperative before any genetic testing, or tests involving chromosomes, DNA or RNA. The informed consent must present in detail, the purpose of the test, outcomes and most importantly fate of the generated genetic data. Third party distribution as well as use of the data for research is prohibited unless consented by the involved. An informed consent forces every participant to make an educated choice regarding medical tests.

– Serum and blood-based diagnostic tests are generally prescribed for all pregnant women in their early prenatal visits. Tests involving consent is generally recommended after checking for risk inducing factors like maternal age, history of smoking and alcohol, BMI of the carrying women, history of miscarriage/fetal loss, family or personal history of genetic abnormalities, specialized fertility treatments, etc. Opting for a test is also the choice of the pregnant couple who may irrespective of presence/absence of risk factors, may chose to just assess overall health.

No. The blood collected for diagnostic tests under Matrnity or other tests offered by Thyrocare, is generally in EDTA anticoagulant tubes. Since, Karyotyping as well as NIPT are specialized tests, the sample is collected in different tubes; Sodium-Heparin blood for Karyotyping and cell-free DNA tubes for NIPT.

– Serum and blood-based diagnostic tests are generally prescribed for all pregnant women in their early prenatal visits. Tests involving consent is generally recommended after checking for risk inducing factors like maternal age, history of smoking and alcohol, BMI of the carrying women, history of miscarriage/fetal loss, family or personal history of genetic abnormalities, specialized fertility treatments, etc. Opting for a test is also the choice of the pregnant couple who may irrespective of presence/absence of risk factors, may chose to just assess overall health.

Testing positive in screening test does leave a window for getting a confirmatory test done. A positive screening report indicates risk, but does not confirm the same. The physician in most cases will recommend a confirmatory test, based on which future action plans would be charted. In all of this process, the choice of the involved couple matters the most and hence the decision does lie in your hands after weighing the pros and cons.

Acceptable

• Routine pregnancy
• IVF pregnancy
• Pregnancy with donor – Karyotype analysis of the donor is a necessity
• Vanishing twin syndrome – A minimum of 8 weeks gap is necessary between twin vanishing and sample collection for NIPT
• Immunotherapy
• Twin pregnancy

Not Acceptable

• Transplantation, Transfusion and Stem cell therapy
• Infected samples – Bacterial or Viral
• Ongoing anticoagulant treatment

Three possible report outcomes could be;

• Low risk – This indication points out that the detected risk for the tested conditions of trisomy 13, 18 and 21 is low in the unborn child.
• High risk – This indication points out that the the detected risk for the tested conditions of trisomy 13, 18 and 21 is high in the unborn child. This further, indicates the need for tests like Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) or Amniocentesis for confirmation.
• Need for resampling – This outcome is presented for a small number of reports when analysis from the received sample does not meet our strict reporting criteria. This could be due to;

– Insufficient cffDNA in the blood

– Sample integrity issues that arise due to improper venipuncture or inadequate sample mixing in the tube

– Inadequate analysis for accurate reporting

Please note NIPT is a screening test only, and further course of action to be planned by the pregnancy care giver based on clinical history as well as indications.

NIPT is an early screening tool and is generally recommended in cases of high risk pregnancies and also to determine the need for an invasive test. NIPT effectively screens and identifies the true need for further invasive tests, which carry an inherent risk of miscarriage albeit small.

Apart from need for further invasive tests, NIPT also gives the involved couple time to prepare for their pregnancy journey in case of a positive result and also undergo appropriate counseling for handling the outcome.