Harpreet Kehal: NIPT at 8 Weeks – Is It Ready for Practice?
Harpreet Kehal, Radiologist at Sutlej Diagnostic Center Nangal, shared a post on LinkedIn about a paper by Lorraine Dugoff et al., published on Obstetrics and Gynecology:
“Paper of the Day.
NIPT at 8 weeks: is it ready for practice?
Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2026
Why it matters: Couples often ask for NIPT at the dating scan, and we usually tell them to wait until 10 weeks because of low fetal fraction. This study asks whether that wait is still needed.
What they did: 470 pregnant women gave two blood samples, one at 6-9 weeks and one at 10 weeks or later, tested on a cfDNA screen with fetal fraction amplification.
Key findings:
- Median fetal fraction was 9.0% at 6-9 weeks vs 18.5% at 10+ weeks (7.2% vs 14.7% with BMI 30 or more).
- From 7+3 weeks, low fetal fraction was no more common than at 10 weeks before amplification; test failure was 0.4% (1/241) at 8-9+6 weeks.
- At 8-9+6 weeks, agreement with the later sample was 100% for all screened aneuploidies, and fetal sex calls matched in every case.
Take-home for practice: With this specific technology, cfDNA screening from 8 weeks looks feasible. But only three screen-positive cases were seen, so accuracy data are limited, and the study was run with the test’s manufacturer. It does not replace the 11–14 week scan.
Discussion: Would you offer NIPT at the 8-week dating scan, or still wait until 10 weeks? Share your view in the comments.”
Title: Prenatal Cell-Free DNA Screening With Fetal Fraction Amplification at 6-9 Weeks of Gestation.
Authors: Lorraine Dugoff, Brent Mabey, Jhett Bordwell, Summer Pierson, Katherine Johansen Taber, Dale Muzzey.
You can read the Full Article in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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