MaterniT21 Plus: DNA-Based Down syndrome test

Currently, our screening tests only allow us to estimate the risk that a fetus may be affected with Down syndrome. While these tests have helped physicians and pregnant women for years, there is now a new, DNA-based screening test. High-risk women now have the option of undergoing a screening test that has a detection rate of greater than 99 percent for Down syndrome with a very low false positive rate. The MaterniT21 Plus test is a simple blood test that examines fetal DNA in maternal blood and can give accurate information to pregnant women about Down syndrome, as well as two other common chromosomal abnormalities, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13. This test is currently only available to high-risk women.