Better, safer, earlier – the prenatal test we’ve been waiting for

For parents-to-be who’ve been through a lot, waiting for a prenatal test or screening can be extremely challenging. 

We know from experience that the excitement of a positive pregnancy test is often dented by fresh anxiety. Whether it’s due to general concern for your baby’s health, or a known genetic condition, early pregnancy can feel ‘on hold’, until your test results are through, and you’re able to move forward. 

What about amniocentesis, or CVS?

An amniocentesis, or ‘amnio’, test can tell us far more than NIPT. But you’ll usually only have an amnio test between weeks 16 and 20 of pregnancy. This means parents-to-be potentially face a one to two-month wait to understand their baby’s health and confirm earlier, less accurate, test results. 

A CVS (chorionic villus sampling) test can be performed earlier, at around 10-12 weeks. It’s classed as ‘diagnostic’ (NIPT isn’t), and is highly accurate, but it doesn’t pick up on some of the things amniocentesis tests for – for example, spina bifida. 

For TRB founder Eloise, the idea of that wait and uncertainty was ‘really difficult. We’d been through so much, so many tests, hoops and tries. I wanted to do the tests as soon as possible, with as much accuracy as science could provide, to feel empowered and have full understanding of how our baby was developing.’

We need safer, more accurate testing, earlier in pregnancy

We’re all on a journey. And whether that’s a fertility journey, a difficult pregnancy or a pre-existing history of one or more genetic conditions, the wait for reliable information about your child’s health can be traumatic. 

There’s a gap to be filled, in the standard prenatal testing timeline. And particularly for anxious parents-to-be, who may have: 

• been through a fertility journey, and want more reliable results, earlier in pregnancy
• had a difficult early pregnancy, and/or be classed as ‘high risk’ by their healthcare provider 
• been given an inaccurate all-clear NIPT test in a previous pregnancy, and are facing a wait for diagnostics this time round
• had a ‘high risk’ NIPT result, and are now waiting for amniocentesis/CVS
• no specific cause for concern, but want broader, safer, more accurate reassurance 

The Luna Prenatal test is noninvasive – it’s all done during a quick blood test from you as the mother – and eliminates the risk of procedure-related pregnancy loss. It can be performed at week 8 of your pregnancy, and provides the most comprehensive information possible, noninvasively. 

Who might want the Luna Prenatal Test?

This test is rewriting what’s possible, within prenatal checks. And, knowing our community, we’re particularly excited to introduce it to parents who: 

• conceived through IVF, and want to confirm fetal genetics
• have had a ‘high risk’ NIPT result, and are concerned about further, invasive*, testing options
• want the earliest testing available 
• are working with cultural or religious timeframes and limits, to determine genetic health
• have had a previous pregnancy or older child, with a trisomy or deletion syndrome 
• carry a balanced translocation (the precise exchange of chromosomal material between nonhomologous chromosomes) 

*By ‘invasive’, we mean potentially creating opportunities for spontaneous miscarriage. 

You can test from 8-22 weeks

Luna Genetics brings prenatal testing securely into the first trimester. 

Incorporating the Luna Prenatal Test, current standard testing timelines in the USA could soon look like this: 

8-22 weeks

• The new Luna Prenatal Test (blood test, highly-accurate, non-invasive) 

10-12 weeks

• NIPT (blood test, limited accuracy, non-invasive) 
• CVS (placental cell biopsy, highly accurate, invasive)

At this point, testing timeframes become a bit tighter. Patients are often offered CVS following their NIPT result, but the window is so short, the opportunity is easily missed. Having the earlier, Luna Prenatal Test gives people more time to go for CVS, if they choose to. 

16-20 weeks

• Amniocentesis (amniotic fluid sample, highly accurate (and broader than CVS), invasive) 

The Luna Prenatal Test is available right now. Head to Luna Genetics to learn more, and order yours today.