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Harmony NIPT

As the only non-invasive prenatal test approved by Health Canada, the Harmony test from Dynacare Prenatal Solutions provides accurate screening for Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), Trisomy 18 and 13, and sex chromosome abnormalities.

Harmony analyzes a sample of the mother’s blood to determine the risk of Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) in the fetus using DNA shed from the placenta (cfDNA). It can be done as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy, and can also identify whether the fetus is male or female.

The Harmony test from Dynacare Prenatal Solutions detects T21 (Down syndrome) with an accuracy rate greater than 99%.

Sample Type: Maternal Blood

Preparation Instructions: none.

Other Considerations

Traditional screening tests (maternal serum screening, first trimester screening, Quad screening) can miss as many as 20% of Trisomy 21 cases in pregnant women. With traditional screening, as many as 1 in 20 women will receive a false-positive result.

If the Harmony prenatal test shows you are high risk, it does not necessarily mean that the pregnancy has one of these genetic conditions. Harmony has a less than 0.1% false-positive rate for trisomies 21, 18 and 13. This means fewer than 1 in 1,000 Harmony tests yields a false-positive result. Your healthcare provider may offer you one of the following follow-up diagnostic procedures to confirm:

  • Chorionic villi sampling (CVS): Procedure that takes a small amount of tissue from the developing placenta. The tissue is then sent to a laboratory to test the chromosomes. CVS is typically performed between 10 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. CVS is associated with a small risk of miscarriage (approximately 1%). CVS results are accurate approximately 98% of the time.
  • Amniocentesis (Amnio Test): Procedure that withdraws a small amount of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus. The fluid is then sent to the laboratory to test the chromosomes. An amniocentesis is usually performed around or after the 16th week of pregnancy. Amniocentesis is associated with a small risk of miscarriage (approximately 0.5%). Amniocentesis results are accurate 99.9% of the time.
How to Get a Harmony Prenatal Test
The Harmony non-invasive prenatal test is available as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy. Follow these steps to obtain your test:

  • 1. Order Your Test
    Select a test from the catalogue pay online for Ontario or Quebec customers, or Download a Harmony test requisition.
  • 2. Get Your Requisition Approval
    An approved requisition is required to collect and analyze your sample. To get your test requisition, please download the requisition form and have it signed by your doctor. You will also need to read and sign the Patient Consent portion of the requisition.
  • 3. Provide Sample
    The Harmony test uses a small sample of your blood that is easily collected. For collection in Ontario, Quebec or Manitoba, Find a Dynacare laboratory and health services centre location. For collection in other provinces, call 1.888.988.1888.
  • 4. Get Your Results
    Your healthcare provider will receive a report with your test results. You may wish to schedule an appointment to discuss. For Dynacare Plus members, test results will appear in Dynacare Plus 10-14 days following sample collection. Log in to your Dynacare Plus account to view your results. Dynacare Prenatal Solutions offers genetic counselling as part of the Harmony test package. You can speak to a genetic counsellor about your test results by calling 1.888.988.1888.