MaterniT21 or Amnio?

kirac

My high risk obgyn didn't mention MaterniT21 - seems like it's relatively new.  I had planned on getting Amnio until I read about MaterniT21.   MaterniT21 seems to cover the same info but less invasive and a lot sooner - can someone tell me the differences?  TIA!

MAtoNC

MaternT21 screens for the 3 most commom trisomies (13, 18, and 21). It is a very sensitive test. If all you are concerned about is these three conditions, then it may be a very good choice.

The amnio will give you more information. For example, we discovered a paracentric inversion on our son's 1st chromosome. As a result, we had increased monitoring and tests throughout my pregnancy including additional growth scans, fluid checks, and an echocardiogram.

The maternT21 is a maternal blood test. The amnio carries a small risk of miscarriage. 

pb_bride

:lurker here:

What PP said.  Amnio is close to 100% accurate, whereas MaterniT21 is about 99.1%.  MaterniT21 only tests for trisomies in chromosome 13, 18 & 21; whereas Amnio tests for all chromosomal abnormalities, so it provides more information.

OTOH, Amnio carries a 1/400 risk of m/c on average - since it's operater-dependent, if you are getting it done, you should check to see if it's being done by a doctor that is very experienced in it.  An experienced physician usually have m/c rate much, much lower than 1 in 400.  GL with your decision.

benniferbaby

Also, the MaterniT test may not be offered in your area. When I brought it up (not to my OB, but to the specialists that she sent me to due to AMA), they were like ummm ya that is pretty experimental and we don't do it, or something along those lines. So check around to see if it's offered (and the extent to which it's covered!), then make your decision. I think I would do amnio as long as the doctor doing it was very experienced - m/c rates vary from 1/400 to 1/1600 or something crazy like that!

dukemeli

What the previous posters said...I opted to have MaterniT21 done today since we're only concerned with Trisomy 21. The doc told us that given our circumstances, MaterniT21 would be a good option for us right now as supposed to an Amnio.  Also, most insurances won't cover it. We had to pay $235 upfront. The company will file with our insurance. If the insurance pays, they'll reimburse us. If the insurance denies the claim, we'll only pay the $235 that we were charged.

kirac

Thanks for the info. Yes, sounds like the amnio is more comprehensive.  I called my OBGYN today and they said genetic testing (dept) does do it, and since I would meet them soon, I could go ahead and schedule the meeting with them.

My dr. is very experienced in amnio, but I guess I talk to the genetic testing dept and see what they say... I want to do it ASAP since if I get the MaterniT21 test, it will probably take a few days to schedule and a week or so for results, right?  I guess it will all depend on the odds of well, everything! 

dukemeli

kirac:

Thanks for the info. Yes, sounds like the amnio is more comprehensive.  I called my OBGYN today and they said genetic testing (dept) does do it, and since I would meet them soon, I could go ahead and schedule the meeting with them.

My dr. is very experienced in amnio, but I guess I talk to the genetic testing dept and see what they say... I want to do it ASAP since if I get the MaterniT21 test, it will probably take a few days to schedule and a week or so for results, right?  I guess it will all depend on the odds of well, everything! 

MaterniT21 results take 2 weeks. Amnio is 7 to 10 days.

milkdoctor

I too was researching this and my ob does not recommend b/c it is still experimental and there are risks of inaccurate results.  I really wanted this test but to find out that it is not 100% and can give false negative results I decided not to have it done.  We had our NT and quad screen and our results came back as risk for downs 1 in 23.  we are going to have the anatomy scan in 3 weeks and if any abnormalities proceed with the amino since it is 100%.  

 

bklynbmp

We opted for the MaterniT21 as I wanted to have a more diagnostic test than the NT but I didn't want to suffer through or deal with the amnio risk unless the results of the NT or MaternT21 made me think it was worth it.

I paid $495 out of pocket for the M21 and it was well worth it for me to have a little extra piece of mind.