As you continue on your pregnancy journey, did you know there is a new genetic maternity blood test, the MaterniT21™PLUS, which can be performed earlier than a CVS or an amniocentesis. With no threat of miscarriage, this test may be drawn as early as Week 10. The results will determine if your baby is at risk for various genetic anomalies such as Down syndrome or Trisomy 18. Although it doesn’t rule out all genetic abnormalities, it is noninvasive, carries a high accuracy rate (99.1%), a low false positive rate (0.2%), and lets you know the sex of your baby.
Early testing allows extra time to ask questions, schedule further tests, make an appointment with a maternal fetal specialist or perinatologist, and most importantly, more time to prepare and plan if a genetic abnormality is found. Speak with your health care team about this new approach if genetic testing is recommended.
