Just got my MaterniT21 test results!

[ThunderCat]

I'm so excited! NEGATIVE! I've had a baby with Trisomy 18 in the past and was very concerned about trying again. I had a lot of bleeding throughout my first trimester and was too concerned to do an invasive testing like CVS and then I was having to face Amnio, while still having issues with my uterus... Then I found out about a second blood test AFTER the first trimester screening test using the ultrasound and blood test. This one is BRAND NEW! It's called MaterniT21. It's just like the first trimester blood test in that it's taken at the same time, but this one actually looks at the DNA and looks for extra copies of chromosomes, not just the Free Beta HCG and PAPP-A levels.

It's covered under my insurance and is 98.6-99% accurate! It took two weeks to get the results after a simple blood test was sent off to their labs in San Diego and now it's negative, I don't have to do amnio!! I didn't have any reason for concern from my first trimester screening, but I also had false negatives on all those first trimester AND second trimester AND quad and echocardiogram tests and ALL blood tests and scan screenings on my daughter and she still had Trisomy 18, so I couldn't trust the regular screenings.

I don't see why more people aren't doing this now! I'm SO relieved. I'm 14 weeks 3 days and I'm only now dancing around with excitement. It's been so hard to get attached again after our loss(es).

Has anyone else had any experience with this test?

 

[Sunshine12]

They dont do it in the UK (and only do it in certain parts of the US) but Ive heard about it. Congrats on your results!

 

[ThunderCat]

Oh, thank you! That's a shame! Ugh.. we'll, it's still new yet. I'm sure it'll make it's way over there soon.

 

[Monalissa]

CONGRATS!! You must be so relieved and happy.

I asked my doctor about this today after seeing your post last week. She looked at me and said "What is that?" I am rotating between 5 doctors at a NYC practice and this is the first time I met her. I wasn't encouraged by the fact that she doesn't even know about the test.

They pulled blood for the 16 week screening today. I was hoping Materniti21 would be an option depending on the results. Hopefully, my first trimester screen results were accurate (1:7061 for Down Syndrome and 1:<10,000 for Trisomy 18) plus good scan results. I'm sorry you had so many false negatives.

eta: So the test can only be done in the first trimester?

 

[dae114]

Congrats!!! That is such exciting news! You must be so relieved I am currently awaiting my results. It's been ten days but just six business days. Seems like forever! So happy to hear all went well for you, best of luck for the rest of your pregnancy.

 

[mellyboo]

Was this the blood test one? if so they do this in canada i dont think i got my results back they send it to the sick childrens hospital in the next province over ... i maybe have got them since i ve had a dr's appointment since i took it prob over a month ago he didnt mention anything.. he just said i was healthy ? ahah!

 

[mellyboo]

CONGRATS!! You must be so relieved and happy.

I asked my doctor about this today after seeing your post last week. She looked at me and said "What is that?" I am rotating between 5 doctors at a NYC practice and this is the first time I met her. I wasn't encouraged by the fact that she doesn't even know about the test.

They pulled blood for the 16 week screening today. I was hoping Materniti21 would be an option depending on the results. Hopefully, my first trimester screen results were accurate (1:7061 for Down Syndrome and 1:<10,000 for Trisomy 18) plus good scan results. I'm sorry you had so many false negatives.

eta: So the test can only be done in the first trimester?

If its the same one i had it's only first tri screening you have until 13 weeks i think? , if you come back positive they bring you back for more "indepth" ultrasounds to take a look around, but my dr told me not to worry if it came back positive because some time's its really nothing...? its also your choice if you would like to do the testing in canada.

 

[Monalissa]

CONGRATS!! You must be so relieved and happy.

I asked my doctor about this today after seeing your post last week. She looked at me and said "What is that?" I am rotating between 5 doctors at a NYC practice and this is the first time I met her. I wasn't encouraged by the fact that she doesn't even know about the test.

They pulled blood for the 16 week screening today. I was hoping Materniti21 would be an option depending on the results. Hopefully, my first trimester screen results were accurate (1:7061 for Down Syndrome and 1:<10,000 for Trisomy 18) plus good scan results. I'm sorry you had so many false negatives.

eta: So the test can only be done in the first trimester?

If its the same one i had it's only first tri screening you have until 13 weeks i think? , if you come back positive they bring you back for more "indepth" ultrasounds to take a look around, but my dr told me not to worry if it came back positive because some time's its really nothing...? its also your choice if you would like to do the testing in canada.

I think this test is in addition to the first trimester screening, which I had and came back fine. I did a little more reading and it looks like this test can be done later than first trimester as some women do it after their 16 weeks bloods. It sounds like such a good option that hopefully it will be offered as a part of the screening process on a regular basis in the future!

 

[Cypress]

That's great news Thundercat, congrats!!

Currently the test is only available in the US and Hong Kong. The US company told me they don't accept bloods from anyone outside the US, you need a referral from a US doctor. (But things may change, that was a few months ago when I enquired.) According to the UK lab who are testing MaterniT21, it won't be available in the UK for another 3-5 years. Boo!

 

[Guest]

They dont do it in the UK (and only do it in certain parts of the US) but Ive heard about it. Congrats on your results!

There is a company LifeCodexx in Konstanz, Germany. LifeCodexx licensed this test from American company Sequenom. LifeCodexx should start offering the test from May 2/2012 in German speaking countries: Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany. Try to find them.

 

[ThunderCat]

CONGRATS!! You must be so relieved and happy.

I asked my doctor about this today after seeing your post last week. She looked at me and said "What is that?" I am rotating between 5 doctors at a NYC practice and this is the first time I met her. I wasn't encouraged by the fact that she doesn't even know about the test.

They pulled blood for the 16 week screening today. I was hoping Materniti21 would be an option depending on the results. Hopefully, my first trimester screen results were accurate (1:7061 for Down Syndrome and 1:<10,000 for Trisomy 18) plus good scan results. I'm sorry you had so many false negatives.

eta: So the test can only be done in the first trimester?

If its the same one i had it's only first tri screening you have until 13 weeks i think? , if you come back positive they bring you back for more "indepth" ultrasounds to take a look around, but my dr told me not to worry if it came back positive because some time's its really nothing...? its also your choice if you would like to do the testing in canada.

Yes, this test is different from the first trimester screening. MUCH more accurate. I believe the first trimester screening is somewhere around 80% accurate and this is at least 98.6%. I'm sure it will be available in Canada soon

 

[ThunderCat]

CONGRATS!! You must be so relieved and happy.

I asked my doctor about this today after seeing your post last week. She looked at me and said "What is that?" I am rotating between 5 doctors at a NYC practice and this is the first time I met her. I wasn't encouraged by the fact that she doesn't even know about the test.

They pulled blood for the 16 week screening today. I was hoping Materniti21 would be an option depending on the results. Hopefully, my first trimester screen results were accurate (1:7061 for Down Syndrome and 1:<10,000 for Trisomy 18) plus good scan results. I'm sorry you had so many false negatives.

eta: So the test can only be done in the first trimester?

Yes, I am! Thank you! Your results sound amazing! Those are dream numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if many doctors haven't yet heard of it. My doctor only got hip to it two weeks before I asked and he's top of the line NYU fetal medicine! You can call Sequanom (spelling?) by looking up MaterniT21 online and ask which doctors in your area pull the blood for them. They'll tell ya.
Good luck!

 

[ThunderCat]

Congrats!!! That is such exciting news! You must be so relieved I am currently awaiting my results. It's been ten days but just six business days. Seems like forever! So happy to hear all went well for you, best of luck for the rest of your pregnancy.

Did you get your results?

 

[dae114]

I did! Negative and so incredibly relieved! My results were less than 1 in 10,000 for trisomies 21,18 and apparently 13 as well. Didnt even know it looked for 13. So happy and thankful!

 

[dae114]

Thanks for asking too! xxx

 

[Monalissa]

CONGRATS!! You must be so relieved and happy.

I asked my doctor about this today after seeing your post last week. She looked at me and said "What is that?" I am rotating between 5 doctors at a NYC practice and this is the first time I met her. I wasn't encouraged by the fact that she doesn't even know about the test.

They pulled blood for the 16 week screening today. I was hoping Materniti21 would be an option depending on the results. Hopefully, my first trimester screen results were accurate (1:7061 for Down Syndrome and 1:<10,000 for Trisomy 18) plus good scan results. I'm sorry you had so many false negatives.

eta: So the test can only be done in the first trimester?

Yes, I am! Thank you! Your results sound amazing! Those are dream numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if many doctors haven't yet heard of it. My doctor only got hip to it two weeks before I asked and he's top of the line NYU fetal medicine! You can call Sequanom (spelling?) by looking up MaterniT21 online and ask which doctors in your area pull the blood for them. They'll tell ya.
Good luck!

That makes me feel a little better that your doctor just found out about it recently!! I am still waiting on my 16 week bloods taken last Monday. I'll see what happens then but I do recall someone saying in another thread that the lab who runs the test will only do it if your high risk. Btw, I'll be delivering at NYU also!! Thanks for writing.

 

[AlwaysPraying]

I had a baby with trisomy 13 in the past so this test would be brilliant for us. Of course we are somewhere they dont do the test, Canada.

I just had my first tri screen and nt done passed with flying colours. Now we wait until the 20 week scan.

So you say they look at the DNA in the blood but that's just maternal blood right? How does it work? I'm soooooo curious!!

 

[ThunderCat]

I did! Negative and so incredibly relieved! My results were less than 1 in 10,000 for trisomies 21,18 and apparently 13 as well. Didnt even know it looked for 13. So happy and thankful!

YAY!!! That's fantastic news! Congrats!

 

[ThunderCat]

I had a baby with trisomy 13 in the past so this test would be brilliant for us. Of course we are somewhere they dont do the test, Canada.

I just had my first tri screen and nt done passed with flying colours. Now we wait until the 20 week scan.

So you say they look at the DNA in the blood but that's just maternal blood right? How does it work? I'm soooooo curious!!

Oh, I'm so sorry. I know exactly how you feel going through these trisomy tests after you've had a baby with trisomy. May I ask, how far along were you when you found out your child had Trisomy 13? We passed through all our scans and blood tests perfectly until our baby was born with Trisomy 18, hence my excitement about new tests. If the regular scans and blood tests worked for you before, they probably will again. I just can't trust the basic tests now after what we've been through.

Yes, the MaterniT21 tests the chromosomes through the blood. I am NOT a doctor nor nurse nor any authority in this area, so PLEASE do your own research. From what I understand, while we're pregnant, we have our own blood AND some of the fetus's blood running through us. When they take our blood, they are getting some fetal blood as well and they seem to be able to scan the blood for any doubling up of the chromosomes 21, 18, and 13. They'll see the pattern pop in there if it's there and base their results on that. They were able to catch it 98.6% of the time, according to their most recent studies. They claim it's probably closer to 99%, but there is a margin of error or odd issues with blood collection, etc, etc, that they leave room for in their accuracy estimate.

What's so great about it is, what can it hurt? It's an affordable test, or covered under insurance, and on top of the 80% accuracy of all the scans and other serum blood tests, it gives you ANOTHER 98.6% just from another blood test. It's completely non-invasive. How lucky are we to live in such a day and age?

If you really want to avoid amnio, I suggest calling MaterniT21's HQ in San Diego. It's on their website at Sequanom (spelling?) and ask if it's available in Canada, if not, what they recommend... Can you get blood drawn and send it to them or perhaps visit a clinic over the border...? Hmm...

Best of luck to you! Keep us posted if you're able to get info about the test in Canada. My husband and I are Canadian also, but live in NY. It's funny the things we go there for that aren't easy or available here and vice versa. We're so lucky to have access to both.

 

[ThunderCat]

CONGRATS!! You must be so relieved and happy.

I asked my doctor about this today after seeing your post last week. She looked at me and said "What is that?" I am rotating between 5 doctors at a NYC practice and this is the first time I met her. I wasn't encouraged by the fact that she doesn't even know about the test.

They pulled blood for the 16 week screening today. I was hoping Materniti21 would be an option depending on the results. Hopefully, my first trimester screen results were accurate (1:7061 for Down Syndrome and 1:<10,000 for Trisomy 18) plus good scan results. I'm sorry you had so many false negatives.

eta: So the test can only be done in the first trimester?

Yes, I am! Thank you! Your results sound amazing! Those are dream numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if many doctors haven't yet heard of it. My doctor only got hip to it two weeks before I asked and he's top of the line NYU fetal medicine! You can call Sequanom (spelling?) by looking up MaterniT21 online and ask which doctors in your area pull the blood for them. They'll tell ya.
Good luck!

That makes me feel a little better that your doctor just found out about it recently!! I am still waiting on my 16 week bloods taken last Monday. I'll see what happens then but I do recall someone saying in another thread that the lab who runs the test will only do it if your high risk. Btw, I'll be delivering at NYU also!! Thanks for writing.

Yes, they do only tell you if there's something wrong. I asked them if I could call in and ask and they reluctantly said I could, but they wouldn't be calling me. Same with the MaterniT21 test. They said they wouldn't call me unless there's something wrong. I just couldn't sleep imagining I'd missed their call, or someone forgot to look over my file, etc, etc... So I called them and they gladly gave me the results. If you want to know, I'd just give them a ring. I'm SURE they're used to mothers wanting to know either way.

Have you delivered at NYU before, or is this your first time there? I moved from Roosevelt to NYU based on my friend's insistence. She SWEARS by it. The way she talks about her experience there makes me think she might try and rent a room there for her next vacation. HA HA! I don't know the difference between one birthing center and another, but since she was SOOO happy, I figured I'd go there. HA HA! It gets great reviews!