Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT)

Generation is non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) that screens for chromosomal changes that can affect your baby's future health.

NIPT uses a blood sample from the mother to determine the chance of a chromosomal condition in the developing baby from as early as the 10th week of pregnancy. Generation is highly accurate and safe, and may help avoid more invasive prenatal testing by amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling.

Three NIPT options are available: Generation, Generation 46 and Generation Plus.  All options provide information on the chance that your baby is affected by common chromosomal conditions including Down syndrome. Your doctor can advise on the best Generation test for your personal circumstances.

*NIPT referrals that are not equivalent to available Generation options may be refused

Generation NIPT

Generation NIPT

Generation - $395

Generation 46 - $395

Generation Plus - $695

Your Reproductive Health Test Journey

Starting a family is an exciting and sometimes confusing time. There are a number of genetic tests you may like to consider during this. Please discuss them with your doctor.

  • Find out more about:
    • Genetic Carrier Screening

  • Find out more about:
    • Generation NIPT

  • Some pregnancies may need further genetic testing based on family history, ultrasound findings or high risk NIPT results.  Talk to your doctor for further information.

Introducing the Generation screen

You can have an NIPT blood test as early as 10 weeks

The lowest reported test failure rate of any NIPT

99% Accuracy for Trisomy 21, 18 & 13

Doctors will receive results within 3 - 5 days of sample arriving at the laboratory for Generation and Generation 46, and 9 - 13 days of sample arriving at the laboratory for Generation Plus.

All screens are analysed in an accredited laboratory*

Only a single tube of blood is drawn

* *Generation and Generation 46 are performed in our accredited Australian laboratory. If a Generation Plus test is requested, your sample will be sent to an accredited laboratory in California.

NB: Prices are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change without notice.

How it works

There are only four simple steps to having your Generation test.

2. Prepare for your collection

Prepayment is required for Generation. Pay online or over the phone on 1800 822 999. Record your receipt number on the request form. You will also need to sign the Patient Consent section on the request form before blood collection.

4. See your doctor to get your results

Your result is provided to your doctor, who will discuss this with you and action any relevant findings. Genetic counselling is offered free of charge for all high risk results.

1. See your doctor to get a referral

NIPT testing can provide important health information on your baby. See your doctor, who can discuss the appropriate Generation option with you, and request the test.

NIPT testing can provide important health information on your baby. See your doctor, who can discuss the appropriate Generation option with you, and request the test.

2. Prepare for your collection

Prepayment is required for Generation. Pay online or over the phone on 1800 822 999. Record your receipt number on the request form. You will also need to sign the Patient Consent section on the request form before blood collection.

3. Get your sample collected

You can have your sample collected at one of our collection centres, which can be selected at the time of online payment. Bring your Generation request form with you when having your blood collected. Generation Plus is not collected each day. Please check on your request form for exact collection days. Your sample is then transported to the laboratory, and tested.

4. See your doctor to get your results

Your result is provided to your doctor, who will discuss this with you and action any relevant findings. Genetic counselling is offered free of charge for all high risk results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) is a complex test and we have answered your most frequent queries on our Generation range of tests below. Please discuss these with your doctor and if you still have questions that are not answered, we welcome your call.

Genomic Diagnostics provides you with three options for your NIPT test. Please discuss with your doctor which one is right for you. All options can tell you the sex of the baby if that is something you want to know.

• Generation
• Generation 46
• Generation Plus

All Generation options look for too few (missing) or too many (extra) copies of chromosomes.

The most commonly seen and accurately chromosomal changes detected with all Generation options include:

  • Down syndrome – an extra copy of chromosome 21 (called trisomy 21 or T21)
  • Edward's syndrome – an extra copy of chromosome 18 (called  trisomy 18 or T18)
  • Patau syndrome – an extra copy of chromosome 13 (called trisomy 13 or T13)
  • Specific sex chromosome number changes
  • Fetal sex

The standard Generation test looks at all of these.

The Generation 46 option of the NIPT range of tests screens for gains and losses of all 46 chromosomes (pairs 1 through 22 plus the sex chromosomes X and Y), including trisomy 21, 18 and 13, and the sex chromosome number changes in the standard Generation option.

It not only screens for extra or missing whole chromosomes but also for extra or missing parts of the baby's chromosomes.

Changes in chromosomes other than 21, 18, 13, X and Y are rare, but can provide your doctor with important information on the health of your pregnancy.

The Generation Plus option screens for all conditions included in the standard Generation option as well as a range of specific small microdeletion syndromes (where small bits of the chromosome are missing):

    • 22q11 deletion (DiGeorge syndrome)
    • 15q11 (Angelman/Prader-Willi syndrome)
    • 1p36
    • 4p (Wolf-Hirschorn syndrome)
    • 5p (Cri-du-chat syndrome)

It does not look at all chromosomes.

The Generation prenatal test does not qualify for a Medicare rebate and is not covered by private health insurance. It requires payment before testing is performed. The total out-of-pocket cost to the patient for Generation is $395, for Generation 46 is $395 and for Generation Plus is $695.

* Prices are valid as of October 2020 and are subject to change.

During pregnancy, some of the baby's DNA from the placenta crosses into your bloodstream. After your blood test, the Generation NIPT tests this DNA to identify certain chromosome conditions in your pregnancy. The Generation test takes a deeper approach to the science, using an advanced technology called "Massively Parallel Sequencing" to analyse millions of DNA fragments per sample and accurately count the number of chromosomes present to determine if there are too many or too few copies of the tested chromosomes in your baby.

Simply because it can be used to obtain important and accurate information about the health of your developing baby in the first trimester (at 10 weeks), with little or no risk to the pregnancy.

This screening test may be an option for you if:

  • You will be 35 years or older at the time of delivery (32 years or older for a twin pregnancy)
  • You have an abnormal or "positive" serum screen
  • Your ultrasound has revealed concerns or abnormalities with foetal growth and / or development
  • You have a personal or family history suggestive of a chromosome disorder (eg. Down syndrome)

What's more, clinical best practice guidelines from Australian and international medical societies recommend that all pregnant women, regardless of risk status, be given the opportunity to take an NIPT and other available prenatal screening and diagnostic tests.

The Generation prenatal test is a highly accurate advanced screening test that is non-invasive. No test, however, can guarantee a baby will not have any medical issues.

The Generation test only addresses aneuploidies of specific chromosomes including the sex chromosomes. It doesn't test for genetic and non-genetic problems that may be present in a baby or report on them.

No. Your doctor needs to specify on the Generation request form if you want to be told about the fetal sex, or for it not to be included in your report.

No. The Generation range of NIPT tests are offered as screening tests for chromosomal changes and fetal sex results are included as a courtesy if requested.

Generation, Generation 46 and Generation Plus tests use one of the most accurate methods to test for these conditions.

No. The test has been designed to reliably detect fetal aneuploidies from 10 weeks gestation onwards. Testing before 10 weeks may result in a higher test failure rate.

Testing can be performed any time from 10 weeks onwards up until the date of delivery. However, options available in the case of a high risk results may be limited for later term testing, based on individual state regulations.

The maternal serum screen is an aneuploidy screening test which is only available during the first trimester period whereas NIPT can be offered anytime during a pregnancy. The accuracy of serum screening is not as high as NIPT for the common aneuploidies and it has both a higher false positive and a higher false negative rate than NIPT. This means serum screening  incorrectly reports that your baby has a high risk of a genetic change when they do not, or a low risk of a genetic change when the baby may actually have a genetic abnormality, at higher rates than with the NIPT test.

No. There are no Medicare rebates for NIPT testing at this time. We endeavour to keep our prices as low as possible and we have the lowest cost NIPT tests available.

No. The collection centre cannot take your payment. However, you can pay online anytime by clicking here. If you're unable to pay online, you can make payment by phone Monday-Friday between 8am-6pm AEST on 1800 822 999.

Genomic Diagnostics has a partnership with Illumina, Inc to undertake Generation Plus testing. Your samples and request form will be sent to the Illumina laboratory in California, USA for testing.

Please note: As this website contains only general education information, professional advice from your medical practitioner should be sought before applying the information in this website to particular circumstances. You should not rely on any information contained in this website without first obtaining professional advice. Prices are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change without notice.

Generation Tests

$395

Screening for the most common chromosomal changes.

  • Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) & Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome)
  • Specific sex chromosome changes
  • Fetal sex

Results available within 3 – 5 days of sample arrival at laboratory.

$395

Screening all chromosomes for changes.

  • Chromosomal and subchromosomal changes  >7Mb
  • Specific sex chromosome changes
  • Fetal sex

Results available within 3 – 5 days of sample arrival at laboratory.

$695

Screening for the most common chromosomal changes plus specific microdeletion syndromes.

  • Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) & Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome)
  • Specific sex chromosome changes
  • Fetal sex
  • Five microdeletion syndromes including 22q11 deletion (DiGeorge syndrome)

Results available within 9- 13 days of sample arrival at laboratory.

Leading the way to improved health

Our dedicated team are committed to ensuring the best quality
results in the shortest turnaround time.