Although the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) is undoubtedly the best-known genetic analysis, many people are still unaware of this advance and frequently ask us about this service.
For this reason, I will try to explain in simple words what it provides and how it is performed, because we at medmesafe believe that services like these should be widespread and a real alternative to amniocentesis in the near future.
A pregnancy is a very special moment for both parts of the couple and it is a mixture of extreme happiness and stress (especially when we are first-time parents). This has been my experience after having two children and in both cases, my wife and I decided, we carried out this analysis, first in France, with the eldest, and then in Spain, with the youngest.
What is a non-invasive prenatal test used for?
It makes it possible to detect very early (week 10 of pregnancy) some of the most frequent syndromes that the future baby could suffer. These syndromes are trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) which affects approximately 1% of fetuses, trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome).
Likewise, if desired, the sex of the fetus can be known. With this analysis, the sex of the fetus can be known from week 10, unlike what currently happens, which is usually known from the ultrasound of the first 3 months of pregnancy or a little later. In addition, with this technique there is no possibility of error when detecting the sex of the fetus, unlike ultrasound where we all know of some cases of error when detecting the sex of the fetus.
How does this analysis work?
During pregnancy, the blood of the mother and the fetus mix. Then, a sample of maternal blood is extracted to later “separate” the maternal DNA from the fetal DNA and proceed to the analysis of the latter.
Here I leave you a Linkedin article where more detail of the analysis process is entered.
Advantages of doing a prenatal analysis?
Detect any anomaly very early, week 10 of pregnancy. Depending on the country, an amniocentesis is done from around week 16.
This test, unlike an amniocentesis, is non-invasive, that is, painless and, above all, without risk for both the future baby and the mother.
The results are delivered between 3 and 5 days after the blood sample is collected.
It has a reliability of 99.99% unlike a simple ultrasound.
As I told you before, I did, or rather my wife did, this analysis a few years/months ago. During these two experiences, I want to highlight two fundamental things that we did not find at the time and that we have incorporated into the medmesafe service:
An analysis at a price much lower than a Spanish minimum wage. We can currently offer this type of service at a price of €199, maintaining reliability of around 100% (99.99%). What was possible thanks to a technological leap that we explained to you on this page of the platform (in the section “Do you want more information?”).
The delivery of results is carried out by a qualified professional. Receiving results by e-mail is not only cold, but it also generates doubts, stress, and we would have liked to have had someone explain our doubts to us so that we could “relax” when receiving the results. For this reason, at medmesafe, we emphasize the advice of professionals because they are not only what they know, they are the ones who know how to explain.
medmesafe’s mission is to make predictive medicine as accessible as possible. For this reason we have worked so that:
The blood extraction can be done in a maximum of centers throughout the Spanish territory (more than 50 centers) without an appointment.
That our geneticists communicate with you through the means of communication of “our century” so that you do not have to go to physical consultations or wait in line.
We are several parents in the medmesafe team, so we know how special the moment of early pregnancy is. For them if you need more information, do not hesitate to contact us through this form, our telephone number +34 911 284 591 or also through our social networks:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/medmesafe.oficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/medmesafe
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/medmesafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medmesafe/
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Clément Destoumieux
PRESENT: + 20 years in complex legal and IT projects in France, the UK and Spain Expert in BioExpert exclusive network of experts in the sectors of life science and investment. Startups coordinator of ANIS (Spanish Association of Health Journalists) Lider ehealth in Asociación Española de Start up Active member of ASEBIO (Leading Spanish Biotech Association) PAST: Sociedad Española Informática de la Salud MBA in Ecole Des Mines – Nantes Master Degree in Ipag Business School in Paris