Genetic Testing

[lilyros3]

Hi,

Has anyone done the optional genetic testing? My doctor gave me brochures on MaterniT21 Plus and Progenity. Any thoughts and experiences anyone can share with me?

 

[Dill]

I did something similar (Natera's Panorama test) with my son. There was a narrow frame in which I had to have two vials of blood drawn (I think it had to be between 9-12 weeks), and my husband had to have a cheek swab. Within a couple of weeks, we had all of our results, including baby's gender. My insurance ultimately denied the $8,000 claim for the tests (YIKES) but Natera will settle for $100-250 if your insurance denies it, so it wasn't a big deal in the end. No regrets.

This time around, I have a different insurance company (a terrible one) so I have to go through a different medical provider. All they offer is Progenity, which I had the blood draws done for yesterday. It was one large and two small vials of blood. Progenity allows for the draw anytime after 10 weeks. As far as I can tell, there's otherwise really no difference between Progenity and the others, though it looks like there are some optional tests for other genetic conditions that Panorama and MaterniT don't cover (sickle cell anemia, etc.) I just had the standard panel that tests for the trisomies and more common chromosomal and gene deletion disorders. My insurance is supposed to cover it now that I'm "advanced maternal age." However, if they don't, Progenity offers a sliding fee scale based on income that starts at $50. I should have results in about two weeks.

Ultimately, in my opinion, it is a very small price to pay for extremely accurate results and reasonably noninvasive testing. I appreciate the peace of mind it offers, and if there is something terribly wrong with the baby, you know early on instead of 20+ weeks along. There's no risk of miscarriage like there is with amniocentesis. And it's far more accurate than just guessing based off of what the ultrasound tech sees on the screen.

 

[Rhiannon137]

I've been offered this testing for all of my pregnancies, and it was covered by my insurance due to "advanced maternal age". I probably would have opted to pay for it out of pocket if necessary bc it is so informative, carries no risk to the baby, and virtually none to you (barring some crazy, freak accident with a routine blood draw). I would never opt to do CVS or amnio for routine information-seeking since both carry a risk of miscarriage. However, a positive result for a genetic problem in the blood test would have prompted me to do one of those more conclusive tests if necessary.

Luckily, my experiences have all provided reassuring results, and it is fun to learn the baby's sex so early. I think more insurance companies are starting to cover these tests for low-risk pregnancies bc they end up being more informative and cost-effective than NT scans and triple/quad screen, etc.

 

[hellojello25]

I had it done with both and I think it's worth it (of course, it was free for me). The screening is really thorough and it gave me piece of mind. Of course, knowing the gender super early is a plus too!