PrenatalSAFE Karyo is a genome-wide non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) that screens every one of your baby's chromosomes, not just 21, 18 and 13, for extra or missing copies and for larger deletions and duplications, plus the four sex chromosome conditions, from one blood sample from 10 weeks. No risk to your baby. From £645, with free genetic counselling for any high-chance result. Results emailed in 5 to 7 working days.
Everything the PrenatalSAFE 5 screens for, Down's, Edwards', Patau, Turner, Klinefelter, Triple X and Jacobs syndromes, and then every other chromosome. Standard NIPT looks only at chromosomes 21, 18, 13, X and Y. Karyo counts all 23 pairs, so it can flag a rare trisomy of any chromosome and detect larger pieces of missing or duplicated chromosome material, above about 7 million DNA letters, anywhere in the genome. It is the closest a blood test comes to the full chromosome picture that amniocentesis provides, without the risk.
Aneuploidy means an extra or missing whole chromosome: three copies of chromosome 21 causes Down's syndrome, a single X causes Turner syndrome. Rare aneuploidies of other chromosomes usually end in early miscarriage but occasionally continue and cause significant problems, or affect the placenta and how the pregnancy grows. A deletion is a missing segment of a chromosome and a duplication an extra segment; when they are large they can cause developmental and physical conditions. Karyo screens for all three across every chromosome; the smaller microdeletions are covered by Karyo Plus.
Because those three account for most, but not all, chromosomal conditions that continue to term. Studies of genome-wide NIPT find that around one in six chromosomal findings in pregnancy involves a chromosome other than 21, 18, 13, X or Y, and that some rare trisomies confined to the placenta explain growth problems later in pregnancy. Screening all chromosomes catches those, and gives a clearer explanation if a later scan shows something unexpected. The trade-off is a slightly higher chance of a finding that needs further investigation and turns out to be benign, which is why every high-chance result comes with genetic counselling.
For Down's syndrome, NIPT detects more than 99 percent of affected pregnancies with a false-positive rate below 0.1 percent, which is why it has replaced older blood tests. Accuracy is lower for the rarer conditions, and the positive predictive value, the chance that a high-chance result is correct, varies by condition and by how common it is: the laboratory's own figures are around 99 percent for Down's syndrome, 99 percent for Edwards', 82 percent for Patau, 80 percent for Turner, 94 percent for Klinefelter and 96 percent for Jacobs syndrome. In around 1 to 3 percent of samples too little placental DNA is present for a result and a repeat sample is needed at no charge. For rare aneuploidies and large deletions or duplications, positive predictive values are lower than for Down's syndrome because the conditions are rarer, so confirmatory testing after a high-chance result matters even more.
No. NIPT is a screening test. It reads fragments of placental DNA in your blood and reports whether the chance of each condition is high or low. Because placental DNA occasionally differs from the baby's, a high-chance result must be confirmed with a diagnostic test, chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis, before any decision is made, and the NHS will arrange that. A low-chance result is strongly reassuring but not a guarantee, and it does not screen for every condition or for structural problems, which the 20-week scan looks for.
You are contacted personally rather than simply emailed, and offered a consultation with a professional genetic counsellor at no extra cost, included in the price of every PrenatalSAFE test. The counsellor explains exactly what the result means for your pregnancy, the confirmatory options available on the NHS, and the timescales, and can talk to your midwife or consultant. You are not left to interpret a report alone.
IVF pregnancies, including those from donor eggs, are fine for every PrenatalSAFE test. Twins are more limited: with identical twins (one placenta) all results including sex can be reported; with non-identical twins (two placentas) the baby's sex is not reported, and sex chromosome conditions are not reported for any twin pregnancy. PrenatalSAFE Karyo can be taken in twin pregnancies for the trisomies and whole-chromosome checks, with the sex and sex chromosome limits above. A vanishing twin, where one of two embryos stopped developing early, also affects what can be reported; tell us when you book.
The NHS offers the combined test at 11 to 14 weeks, an ultrasound measurement plus two blood markers, which gives a chance figure and misses around one in ten Down's syndrome pregnancies. Only women whose combined test shows a chance of 1 in 150 or higher are then offered NIPT on the NHS, and NHS NIPT screens for Down's, Edwards' and Patau syndromes only. A private NIPT can be taken by anyone from 10 weeks, without waiting for the combined test result, and the wider PrenatalSAFE panels screen for conditions the NHS test does not cover.
You must be at least 10 weeks pregnant and have had your first scan, NHS or private, to confirm dates and the number of babies. Goodbody sends you a specialised collection kit to bring to your appointment at one of 250+ clinics or for the nurse who visits your home; the venous sample must be taken by a qualified professional. No fasting or preparation is needed, and the test is safe at any stage after 10 weeks.
Within 5 to 7 working days of your sample reaching the laboratory, a little longer than PrenatalSAFE 3 and 5 because every chromosome is counted. Karyo Plus, which adds targeted microdeletion analysis, takes 10 to 12 working days.
£645 at one of 250+ Goodbody clinics or £665 with a nurse home visit, including the collection kit, laboratory analysis, your report and genetic counselling for any high-chance result. Genome-wide NIPT in the UK typically costs £550 to £800.
Choose by how much you want to know:
| Test | Screens for | Price | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| PrenatalSAFE 3 | Down's, Edwards' and Patau syndromes, and your baby's sex | from £315 | 3 to 5 working days |
| PrenatalSAFE 5 | Everything in 3, plus Turner, Klinefelter, Triple X and Jacobs syndromes (sex chromosome conditions) | from £375 | 3 to 5 working days |
| PrenatalSAFE Karyo | Everything in 5, plus every chromosome checked for extra or missing copies and for deletions or duplications over 7 Mb | from £645 | 5 to 7 working days |
| PrenatalSAFE Karyo Plus | Everything in Karyo, plus 9 microdeletion syndromes including DiGeorge, Prader-Willi and Angelman | from £795 | 10 to 12 working days |
| PrenatalSAFE Complete Plus | Everything in Karyo Plus, plus 5 inherited genetic diseases and up to 50 de novo conditions | from £1,545 | 10 then 20 working days |
Your results report is emailed to you within 5 to 7 working days of your sample reaching the laboratory, stating clearly for each condition whether the chance is low or high. If any result is high chance you are contacted personally and offered a consultation with a professional genetic counsellor at no extra cost, who explains the result and the confirmatory testing available through the NHS. All samples are analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory.
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Compare NIPT tests
All Goodbody NIPT tests use a simple, safe blood sample from 10 weeks. The right one for you depends on how much you want to know.
| Compare tests |
PrenatalSAFE 3
From
£315
View test
|
PrenatalSAFE 5
From
£375
View test
|
PrenatalSAFE Karyo
From
£645
Your selection
| ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions screened | 3 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 21+ |
| Down, Edwards & Patau syndrome Trisomy 21, 18 & 13 | |||||
| Sex chromosome disorders Turner, Klinefelter, Jacobs | |||||
| All 23 chromosome pairs Aneuploidies, deletions & duplications | |||||
| 9 microdeletion syndromes Prader-Willi, Angelman, DiGeorge & more | |||||
| 5 inherited genetic diseases Cystic fibrosis, sickle cell, thalassemia, deafness | |||||
| ~50 De Novo diseases Spontaneous mutations not inherited from parents | |||||
| Gender identification Single pregnancies & identical twins | |||||
| Twin pregnancy | |||||
| Results turnaround | 3–5 working days | 3–5 working days | 5–7 working days | 10–12 working days | Staged: 10 & 20 working days |
| From pregnancy week | 10 weeks | 10 weeks | 10 weeks | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
| Sample collection | In-clinic or at home | In-clinic or at home | In-clinic or at home | In-clinic or at home | In-clinic or at home |
| Free post-test genetic counselling Included with every positive result | |||||
| Price (from) | £315 | £375 | £645 | £795 | £1,545 |
| Choose test | Choose | Choose | Your selection | Choose | Choose |
All prices are for in-clinic appointments. Home visits available at a small additional cost. Free post-test genetic counselling is included with every test should a positive result arise.
Meet the clinical lead
This is the safest and easiest way to find out the gender or check the genetic health of your baby during pregnancy, with FREE genetic counselling provided if you receive a positive result for any health condition. We provide a specialised testing kit to take with you to your appointment and a FREE pre-consultation on Karyo, Karyo Plus, and Complete Plus Tests.
Book online, receive your kit and take to your local Goodbody clinic.
Send your sample in the post to be analysed at an accredited laboratory.
Get your comprehensive detailed results report from the laboratory, with guidance from our support team.
Suitable for women of all ages, of at least 10 weeks of gestation (at the time of their blood draw appointment), who have had their pregnancy type (single or twin) previously confirmed by an ultrasound scan. The pregnancy can be naturally conceived or through IVF.
Our genetic health tests are called NIPT tests, or Non-Invasive Prenatal Tests. An NIPT is a blood test taken from the mother during pregnancy, using state of the art DNA technology to check whether the baby has high risks of certain chromosomal health conditions.
During pregnancy the placenta sheds cell free DNA (cfDNA) into the mother’s bloodstream. This means that the mother’s blood continues a mixture of your own DNA, and that of your baby’s placenta. By extracting and evaluating the cfDNA in your blood, we can identify the risk to your baby of a range of health conditions and diseases.
Enquire via the form and a member of our team will get back to you, they are more than happy to help answer your questions and talk through the best option for you.
Contact us if you aren't sure, we'd be happy to help!
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When you’re worried about your health, life can feel very stressful, especially if you don’t have the answers you need. We believe that health testing should be available to all, giving you answers when and where you need them.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Splitit, Dopple and Clearpay so you can pay for your tests in interest-free instalments, if you prefer.
