Women's views and the impact of noninvasive prenatal testing on procedures in a managed care setting

To prospectively determine the impact of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) on invasive procedure utilization in a managed care setting and to elucidate women's views.

Pregnant women at 10- 20 weeks' gestation with high-risk indications for fetal aneuploidy in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California organization were eligible. Enrolled patients received routine prenatal counseling, completed a questionnaire and were offered the option of NIPT by a genetic counselor. Downstream data through 28 weeks' gestation were collected from the electronic medical record (EMR). The EMR was also used to identify a matched historical cohort from 1 year prior to NIPT availability. Rates of invasive prenatal procedures were compared using McNemar's test.

Two hundred women completed the questionnaire and underwent NIPT. Twenty-two subjects (11%) in the prospective cohort underwent an invasive prenatal procedure compared with 58 (29%) in the historical cohort (p<0.0001). Safety and accuracy were the most important factors in considering NIPT. At the time of survey, only 12% indicated being very comfortable with the possibility of undergoing amniocentesis.

This prospective study demonstrates a 62% reduction in invasive prenatal procedures after NIPT testing and finds safety, accuracy, and personal beliefs key to women's decision-making.