Overview of Prenatal Testing

Prenatal testing is a vitally important tool for most pregnancies in the United States and the rest of the developed world. These tests provide timely and critical information about the well-being of the fetus to women, their families and their physicians. This information can help them to prepare for any potential disabilities the baby may have and to make informed decisions about the pregnancy.

The first amniocentesis done for the purpose of genetic analysis was performed in 1956¹ and the field has evolved quite extensively since then.

Most recently, in January 2007, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a Practice Bulletin² recommending that screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities be made available for all pregnancies in the United States.

While this is a great step forward, many unmet needs remain in the field of prenatal testing.

Accuracy: Current screening tests are not diagnostic and results can be ambiguous.

Availability: Not all physicians/practices have the technology and training to offer all elements required for accurate screening tests.

Safety: Current prenatal screening tests carry no inherent risk to the mother or fetus. However, with an abnormal test result, an invasive diagnostic procedure is required to clarify and/or confirm that result. Invasive tests such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) carry a small but significant risk of infection, miscarriage or birth defects.

Simplicity: Variations in testing options can be confusing for patients. And since multiple factors are tested over various time periods, the results can be unclear, causing undue stress.

Timing: Current prenatal screening and diagnostic tests often don’t provide results until the second trimester of pregnancy.

At Artemis Health, our goal is to provide a prenatal test that meets all of these critical unmet needs: An early-pregnancy, accurate, non-invasive diagnostic test for all pregnancies.

1. Fuchs F, Riis P. Antenatal sex determination. Nature. 1956 Feb 18;177(4503):330.
2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Washington, D.C.: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG); January 2007. ACOG Practice Bulletin, No. 77.