No NIPT Result

NIPT will sometimes fail to give a result. If you have been told your Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) did not work, you might have lots of questions about what this means, and what the next steps are.

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| What the result means

NIPT can "fail" for many reasons. It is important to remember that most of the time, the baby is in fact born healthy.

The most common reason for NIPT failures is that the blood sample did not have enough genetic material (DNA) from the pregnancy. On the report, this is called a "low fetal fraction". Possible reasons for this include:

Timing of blood draw - there is a higher chance for the test to fail when the blood draw is done too early in the pregnancy,
Biological reasons - for example, having a higher body weight, carrying a twin pregnancy or getting pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) make it more likely for the test to fail.
The pregnancy has a chromosome difference - getting a "no call" NIPT could be a sign that the baby has a chromosome difference.

Sometimes, it is not possible to know why NIPT might have failed.

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| Next steps

One of your options might be to have another NIPT blood draw. The report will tell you whether a second try is recommended in your situation. The NIPT is successful about half the time when a re-draw is done. If you paid for NIPT yourself, there is no extra cost for having your blood re-drawn.

Other options might be:

Doing another type of prenatal genetic screening test

You might have the option of having another screening test (enhanced First Trimester Screening or Second Trimester Screening). If you have a twin pregnancy, other prenatal screening tests are not possible for you.

Getting a referral to a specialist in genetics

A genetics specialist can review your options and provide support. You might choose to have a diagnostic test if you had a couple of failed attempts at NIPT or if a re-draw is not recommended in your situation. Diagnostic testing can tell you if the baby has a chromosome difference or not.

Doing a 18-22 week (detailed anatomy) ultrasound

All pregnant people are offered the option of a 18-22 week (detailed anatomy) ultrasound. This ultrasound checks how the baby is growing and developing.

Choosing no more testing in this pregnancy

Some people choose not to have any more testing in the pregnancy. If there are other concerns, you might be offered diagnostic testing after the baby is born.