Types and Timing of Screening Tests

• A blood draw.
• A dating ultrasound is recommended prior to having the NIPT blood draw.  

After 9 or 10 weeks’ gestation. 

NOTE: If you decide to have NIPT, you do not need another prenatal screening test (such as eFTS or STS), however, you should still be offered a Nuchal Translucency (NT) ultrasound to get more information about the health of the baby.   

Pregnant people with a valid OHIP card who meet the Publicly Funded NIPT Eligibility Criteria.

• Your prenatal screening results will tell you if there is a higher or lower chance for your  baby to have  Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome or Patau syndrome. This test can also tell you if there is a higher or lower chance of your baby having with differences in the number of sex chromosomes.  
• The results are reported as “high risk” or “low risk”. 

High Risk  

• A high risk result means that there is a high chance for the fetus/baby to have one of these chromosome differences. It does not mean that the fetus/baby definitely has one of these differences. A health-care provider will offer you further testing. Remember that only diagnostic testing (e.g. chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis) can give you a "yes or no" answer about chromosome differences.  

 Low Risk 

• A low risk result means that there is a very low chance for the fetus/baby to have one of these chromosome differences. 

• A nuchal translucency (NT) ultrasound 
• One blood draw 

• Between 11 weeks and 2 days’ to 13 weeks and 3 days‘ gestation 
• Note: the NT ultrasound must be done first, followed by the blood draw 

Pregnant people with a valid OHIP card who do not meet the publicly funded NIPT eligibility criteria 

• Your prenatal screening results will tell you if there is a higher or lower chance of having a baby with Down syndrome or Edwards syndrome.  
• The results are reported as “screen positive” or “screen negative”. 

Screen positive 

• A “screen positive” result means there is a higher chance for your fetus/baby to have Down syndrome or Edwards syndrome. This result does not tell you a yes or no answer. 
• Most pregnant people with this result do not actually have a baby with one of these conditions. 
• To be more certain, you might choose to have another more accurate screening test, called NIPT, which is publicly funded if either eFTS or STS have come back as “screen positive”.  
• Diagnostic testing (e.g. chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis) is another option. It is important to note that only diagnostic testing can give you a “yes or no” answer about chromosome differences.   

Screen negative 

• A “screen negative” result means that there is a lower chance for your fetus/baby to have Down syndrome or Edwards syndrome.  
• A negative result does not mean there is no chance that the baby has one of these conditions, just that it is unlikely.  
• It is unlikely that further screening or diagnostic testing will be offered.  

• One blood draw 

• 14 weeks’ to 20 weeks and 6 days’ gestation 

• Pregnant people with a valid OHIP card who do not meet the publicly funded NIPT eligibility criteria 
• Pregnant people who did not already have eFTS

• Your prenatal screening results will tell you if there is a higher or lower chance of having a baby with Down syndrome or Edwards syndrome.  
• The results are reported as “screen positive” or “screen negative”. 

Screen positive 

• A “screen positive” result means there is a higher chance for your fetus/baby to have Down syndrome or Edwards syndrome. This result does not tell you a yes or no answer. 
• Most pregnant people with this result do not actually have a baby with one of these conditions. 
• To be more certain, you might choose to have another more accurate screening test, NIPT, which is publicly funded if either eFTS or STS have come back as “screen positive”.  
• Diagnostic testing (e.g. chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis) is another option. It is important to note that only diagnostic testing can give you a “yes or no” answer about chromosome differences.   

Screen negative 

• A “screen negative” result means that there is a lower chance for your fetus/baby to have Down syndrome or Edwards syndrome.  
• A negative result does not mean there is no chance that the baby has one of these conditions, just that it is unlikely.  
• It is unlikely that further screening or diagnostic testing will be offered.