NIPT and Cordlife

A blood sample from the pregnant person contains small fragments of DNA released by the placenta. The laboratory analyses this cell-free DNA and reports a screening result for the conditions included in that service. NIPT does not examine every genetic condition, and a high-chance result is not a diagnosis. A low-chance result also cannot rule out every pregnancy or chromosome concern.

The exact panel, gestational timing, sample requirements, reporting process, and options may vary by provider and pregnancy. A clinician should explain the report in the context of ultrasound findings, medical history, and family history.

Ask Cordlife or your maternity team which conditions are included, when the sample can be taken, how an inconclusive result is handled, and who will explain the report. Keep routine pregnancy appointments, including ultrasound care. If a result shows increased chance, discuss diagnostic testing such as amniocentesis before making decisions about the pregnancy.

Contact your maternity team promptly after an increased-chance or inconclusive result so that counselling and follow-up can be arranged. Seek urgent pregnancy care for heavy bleeding, severe abdominal pain, fluid loss, fainting, or reduced fetal movements later in pregnancy; these symptoms are not diagnosed by NIPT and need separate assessment.

Ask what the report can and cannot screen for, whether your pregnancy history changes its usefulness, and what a high-chance, low-chance, or no-result report would mean. Ask how ultrasound and diagnostic options such as amniocentesis fit into your care.