What is non-invasive prenatal testing?

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is a blood test done on a pregnant woman to screen for any genetic issues with her growing fetus. Patricia Geraghty, NP and Sharecare advisory board member, explains what issues a NIPT tests for in this video.

Transcript

00:00

Now, we all learned in the fourth grade that DNA grows in the nucleus in our cells. But cells are constantly dying and being rebuilt.

00:06

And when the old cells die, the DNA is sort of free-floating around in the blood system. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:20

Noninvasive Prenatal Testing, or sometimes called NIPT, is a way of screening for genetic issues

00:28

with a growing fetus. And noninvasive means we're not really poking any big holes. It's a blood test on the pregnant woman that

00:37

can identify if there are changes in chromosome number in the growing baby or the fetus--

00:46

specifically, trisomy 21, an extra 21st chromosome; trisomy 18, an extra 18; trisomy 13, an extra 13.

00:55

And then we all have what are called sex chromosomes too-- X or Y, with XX being a female.

01:02

Sometimes an X is missing. Or sometimes there's an extra X. XY being male. And sometimes there's an extra X there too.

01:10

So it can identify changes in the number of chromosomes by looking at cell-free DNA.

01:17

In the mom's blood, there's little fragments of DNA. Now, we all learned in the fourth grade that DNA grows in the nucleus in our cells.

01:24

But cells are constantly dying and being rebuilt. And when the old cells die, the DNA is sort of free-floating around in the blood system.

01:32

Some of the DNA is coming from mom, and some of it is growing-- coming from the growing fetus. And so they can count the representation

01:42

of different chromosomes and tell us that there's a different number than we would expect. [AUDIO LOGO]