What information can you learn about your pregnancy — and when?

February 04, 2025 at 09:01 AM EST

(BPT) - If you are pregnant, or are considering becoming pregnant, you may want to know everything you can about your baby. Often, this process will include prenatal screening.

To help in the learning process, and better understand the options for expecting parents, a resource is now available to help understand how genetic testing - another name for screening - can help you learn more and better prepare for your baby.

The "Know More Sooner" website, provided by Myriad Genetics, delivers information about available screenings tests including non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), which can identify pregnancies at an increased risk for a wide variety of chromosomal conditions as early as eight weeks. The site reveals common myths about genetic testing and shares the stories of patients who have used and benefited from prenatal screens.

Kristin E., a recent patient, found out she was pregnant. Her doctor ordered NIPT, also known as prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening early in her pregnancy and learned that her baby might have birth defects.

Since some birth defects may cause a miscarriage, Kristin spent eight days thinking her pregnancy would not be viable. Kristin later found out that the test she had taken became less accurate as the person's weight increased. Instead of providing accurate results, the test simply flagged her as high-risk, without clearly acknowledging that her body mass index (BMI), not the cfDNA, was the primary factor in her test outcome.

Following concerning prenatal cfDNA results that are often impacted by high BMI, Kristin screened with Myriad's Prequel^® Prenatal Screen, which showed her pregnancy was at reduced risk for specific chromosomal conditions. The results gave her a sigh of relief - she started to enjoy her pregnancy instead of being filled with dread.

Kristin has given birth to a healthy baby who is "immensely happy!" As an older mom, Kristin tells everyone to "go to Prequel right out of the gate."

"Many patients don't initially understand the importance of prenatal genetic screening, but with Myriad's genetic tests you can learn a lot more about risks to your pregnancy and your baby sooner than at typical milestones," said Dr. Dallas Reed, MD, FACMG, FACOG, obstetrician-gynecologist and medical geneticist who serves as the Principal Medical Advisor of Women's Health for Myriad Genetics.

"Having this information may allow you to pursue diagnostic testing sooner, meet with specialists, choose a birthing location that specializes in high-risk pregnancies, and/or talk with others who have faced similar conditions."

Know More Sooner was created after survey results found that most patients want prenatal screening - once they learned how genetic testing can help them be more informed and prepared for their baby.

Four in 10 survey respondents said that they had not been offered any kind of noninvasive prenatal screening tests.¹ Yet, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that this kind of screening be offered to all pregnant patients regardless of ancestry, maternal age or risk of chromosomal abnormality.

Myriad offers three tests to those who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant:

The SneakPeek^® Gender Test predicts fetal sex as early as six weeks into pregnancy with 99% accuracy.²
The Foresight^® Carrier Screen identifies couples at risk of passing down serious, inherited conditions.
The Prequel^® Prenatal Screen identifies pregnancies that may be at an increased risk for a wide variety of chromosomal conditions as early as eight weeks.

Visit the Know More Sooner website at PrenatalScreening.com to learn more about prenatal screening.

1. Large-scale Pollfish survey of 1,000 U.S.-based population who self-identified as 'pregnant' or 'recently pregnant.' Survey was conducted by the S50 Agency on behalf of Myriad Genetics, December 2023.

2. In a large-scale published study run in 2020, SneakPeek accurately determined fetal sex in 99.9% of 1,029 pregnant women between 7-37 weeks gestational age. In a 2021 laboratory test, SneakPeek accurately determined fetal sex in 99.02% of 102 pregnant women using the Snap device at 8-15 weeks gestational age. In a separate published study run in 2021, fetal sex was accurately determined in 100% of 134 pregnant women at 7 weeks gestational age. In a 2022 scientific study, SneakPeek accurately determined fetal sex for 100% of 103 women at 6 weeks gestational age.

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What information can you learn about your pregnancy — and when?

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