Knowledge of non-invasive prenatal testing among pregnant women

Maxwell, Susannah J; Dickinson, Jan E; O’Leary, Peter

doi:10.5694/mja15.00561

Topics

To the Editor: Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for trisomy 21 and other chromosomal abnormalities using cell-free fetal DNA became available in Australia on a user-pays basis in 2012.1,2 Since then, the price of this highly accurate screening test has fallen as multiple international providers entered the market, including, earlier this year, the first Australian provider.1,3 The growth in the industry and anecdotal evidence both suggest that demand for the test is increasing rapidly.

1 Curtin University, Perth, WA.
2 University of Western Australia, Perth, WA.
3 PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital, Perth, WA.

Correspondence: peter.oleary@curtin.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Hui L, Teoh M, da Silva Costa F, et al. Clinical implementation of cell‐free DNA‐based aneuploidy screening: perspectives from a national audit. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2015; 45: 10-15.
2. O'Leary P, Maxwell S, Murch A, Hendrie D. Prenatal screening for Down syndrome in Australia: costs and benefits of current and novel screening strategies. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2013; 53: 425-433.
3. Victorian Clinical Genetics Services. Percept: cell-free DNA prenatal test. 2015. http://www.vcgs.org.au/perceptNIPT/ (accessed May 2015).
4. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. DNA-based noninvasive prenatal testing for fetal aneuploidy. (College communiqués, 2014). https://www.ranzcog.edu.au/womens-health/college-communiques/1357-dna-based-noninvasive-prenatal-testing-for-fetal-aneuploidy.html (accessed Jan 2015).
5. Hyett J. Non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome. Aust Prescr 2014; 37: 51-55.

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