UK ladies are you going for Harmony test?

[LuckyFlutter]

I'm considering going for the Harmony test as an older mum (just!) at 35.

Wondering how many of you are going for this? and I don't suppose it tends to be covered under medical insurance.

 

[DJ79]

I'm 36 (just) and only had normal screening offered. I had a friend who had harmony test - it cost a fortune and wasn't covered by insurance. All insurances are different though!

 

[Heidipie77]

Hi!

I had the Verifi test done here in the UK. We had to go private and pay for it. The blood sample got sent to California and took 8 days to come back. I had it done at the Catherine medical centre in Liverpool women's hospital.
Decided on this for peace of mind as I had just turned 37, although my nhs testing on bloods and nuchal fold came back 1:2600 risk for downs.

 

[LuckyFlutter]

Hi!

I had the Verifi test done here in the UK. We had to go private and pay for it. The blood sample got sent to California and took 8 days to come back. I had it done at the Catherine medical centre in Liverpool women's hospital.
Decided on this for peace of mind as I had just turned 37, although my nhs testing on bloods and nuchal fold came back 1:2600 risk for downs.

Did your results come back good for Verifi also?

 

[Heidipie77]

Yes,the verifi results all came back negative. They tested for downs, Edwards and patau syndrome and another chromosome disorder which has different names for male/female baby (can't remember the names)

 

[Mrs G]

Hi
I would've had harmony if my nt results had been bad. I was 35 with dd and didn't bother. This time I'm 40 but used a donor who was 32 so results were really good. I think round here it's about £400, which i would pay if I felt it necessary. Its a much more comprehensive test than the nhs nt.

Xx

 

[LuckyFlutter]

Thanks for your replies. I think I will go ahead with it for peace of mind

 

[Mrs G]

I'd wait and see what your nt is but if you can afford it and it's reassurance then go for it. Good luck. Xx

 

[Spudtastic]

Hi luckyflutter.
I'm in NZ and have also been considering the harmony test. It cost 1000nzd here which is about £550 (iI'm English). I think the peace of mind will be worth it.

 

[Willow01]

I had the Harmony test after my NHS result came back 1-130. I'm 35 and needed the reassurance of Harmony test and didn't want to go for amino for further testing that's offered after high risk results. It took 9 days to get the results and thankfully came back low risk. It also tells you the gender, I'm having a girl! I agree maybe wait until you get your NHS results then if you need to go for Harmony, good luck.

 

[LuckyFlutter]

Thanks everyone. I'm a total worrier so I think I will just go for it. It costs £450 at my local hospital. Also like the idea of knowing the sex early!

 

[Twag]

I was told about it by my Midwife I turned 35 in April so now classed as an older mum I guess but my NT result came back as 1:970 which apparently is low so decided I wouldn't think it costs about £450

 

[EmpireBiscuit]

I had the Harmony, paid £475 at a private clinic, at 12 weeks.

Had this done before the NHS testing - and if I realised all the NHS were screening for was Downs then I wouldn't have bothered with their old fashioned test at all

Anyway Harmony came back great, so I could relax and start to enjoy the pregnancy a bit maybe, NHS results came back a week or so later, they were high risk based solely on my age (NT and bloods fine)

If anything I'd get the Harmony earlier (though I wanted to wait and make sure the pregnancy was viable first).

I was on a Harmony thread in the Pregnancy after a Loss forum recently, loads of people shared their experiences on there.

 

[MrsTB]

I'm 40 and I had my 12 scan a few days ago and my NT measurement was normal. Although I've still awaiting my risk ratio to come through in the post from my bloodwork, I'm felt quite reassured by the NT measurement alone. My odds are going to be higher than with my first child just because I'm older but if they come back as less than a 100 then I don't think I will.

 

[LuckyFlutter]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I've booked in my test when I'm 10+2. Hopefully all comes back good for peace of mind. Will do the usual NT test also.

 

[EmpireBiscuit]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I've booked in my test when I'm 10+2. Hopefully all comes back good for peace of mind. Will do the usual NT test also.

I'd check with your MW what they are scanning for at the NT, if it's only Downs you could skip the stress of a "high risk" NHS assessment and go purely on the Harmony, which is a lot more advanced and modern than the NHS test.

 

[LuckyFlutter]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I've booked in my test when I'm 10+2. Hopefully all comes back good for peace of mind. Will do the usual NT test also.

I'd check with your MW what they are scanning for at the NT, if it's only Downs you could skip the stress of a "high risk" NHS assessment and go purely on the Harmony, which is a lot more advanced and modern than the NHS test.

She said they will check for some other abnormalities in the scan also - spina bifida, normal brain growth etc.

I didn't realise they would give you a high-risk due to age even if your bloods and NT were normal. That's crazy!

 

[EmpireBiscuit]

Depends on your age how highly weighted it will be towards the high end, but yeah even with great NT and bloods I was higher than 1/250 which means you get a letter telling you that you are high risk and inviting you in for appointment to discuss amnio. I'm definitely in the more mature bracket, lol.

When I saw the consultant afterwards, she said they are only checking for Downs, and that my midwife should have told me that (MW mostly went on about breastfeeding, didn't talk about the tests)

 

[LuckyFlutter]

Depends on your age how highly weighted it will be towards the high end, but yeah even with great NT and bloods I was higher than 1/250 which means you get a letter telling you that you are high risk and inviting you in for appointment to discuss amnio. I'm definitely in the more mature bracket, lol.

When I saw the consultant afterwards, she said they are only checking for Downs, and that my midwife should have told me that (MW mostly went on about breastfeeding, didn't talk about the tests)

That's crazy to invite you to think about amnio when your result is due to age. I hope the NHS adopt Harmony or similar soon.

 

[EmpireBiscuit]

Totally, because Harmony (and the similar tests like M21 etc) are non invasive, and amnio and CVS are risky.

Anyway, good luck to all you ladies getting your Harmony tests soon, it's a long 2WW wait but well worth it