Comparative patient guide · Fetal medicine
Non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPTs), choosing between Harmony, Panorama, PrenaTest, SafeT21 and Iona — how the panels differ.
A comparative patient guide to non-invasive prenatal tests. Different NIPT panels (Harmony, Panorama, PrenaTest, SafeT21, Iona) vary in what they screen (aneuploidies, microdeletions, single-gene disorders) and reporting time. This guide helps you choose.
Why patients choose us
- 01
The right panel for you
We match the NIPT panel — Harmony, Panorama, PrenaTest, SafeT21 or Iona — to your risk profile, gestation and family history.
- 02
Reporting timelines explained
Turnaround varies from 5 to 14 days across panels. We tell you which panel returns fastest for your indication.
- 03
Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic and no laboratory, so the panel we recommend is impartial and costs you nothing.
Compare the panels
How the five NIPT panels differ, side by side.
Indicative pricing, reporting time and content across the panels available privately in London. We come back with a firm quote and a panel recommendation within one working day.
In short
Fastest reporting: Harmony and SafeT21 (5–7 days). Broadest panel: Panorama Advanced.
| Panel | Indicative range | Reporting time | Conditions screened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harmony (Roche) | £425–£550 | 5–7 days | T21/18/13, X/Y, 22q11 |
| Panorama (Natera) | £475–£650 | 7–10 days | T21/18/13, X/Y, microdeletions |
| Panorama Advanced (Natera) | £795–£1,150 | 10–14 days | Adds 5 single-gene disorders |
| PrenaTest (LifeCodexx) | £450–£625 | 7–10 days | T21/18/13, X/Y, 22q11 |
| SafeT21 Express (Yourgene) | £425–£575 | 5–7 days | T21/18/13, X/Y |
| Iona (Yourgene) | £450–£625 | 5–10 days | T21/18/13, X/Y |
Prices vary by clinic, whether counselling is included and whether extended microdeletion or single-gene modules are added. We confirm a firm quote within one working day. For the main NIPT overview, see the non-invasive prenatal test guide.
The problem
Five NIPT panels — and no clear answer on which to pick.
Every laboratory pitches its own panel as the best. The right answer depends on your risk profile, what you want to know and how fast you need the result. We match panel to patient — not the other way round.
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Fast reassurance after a low-risk screen?
Harmony or SafeT21 return trisomy results in 5–7 days.
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Want microdeletion screening included?
Harmony, Panorama and PrenaTest include 22q11. Panorama Extended covers more.
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Family history of a single-gene disorder?
Panorama Advanced screens five dominant conditions — the only NIPT to do so.
The journey
From consultation to counselling — what happens, in order.
One consultant from the first message to the result — with genetic counselling attached if the report is high-risk.
Phase 1 · Before your test
Consultation and panel choice
Phase 2 · On the day
A simple blood draw
Phase 3 · After
Report and counselling
- 01
Before
Fetal medicine consultation
A confidential conversation with a consultant — indication, screening history, family history and what each NIPT panel can and cannot answer.
- 02
Before
Choose NIPT panel per risk profile
Harmony, Panorama, PrenaTest, SafeT21 or Iona — the right panel depends on age, screening result, previous pregnancies and whether microdeletion or single-gene screening is wanted.
- 03
Before
Confirm ≥ 10 weeks gestation
All NIPT panels require a minimum of 10 completed weeks — fetal fraction is otherwise too low for a reliable result.
- 04
On the day
Blood draw and shipping
A straightforward maternal venous sample is taken and shipped to the laboratory the same day. No fasting, no preparation.
- 05
On the day
Panel-specific analysis
Each laboratory runs its own bioinformatics pipeline — targeted sequencing (Harmony, Panorama) or whole-genome shallow sequencing (PrenaTest, SafeT21, Iona).
- 06
After
Reporting timeframe explained
Results arrive between 5 and 14 calendar days depending on panel. We chase the laboratory and deliver the report with your consultant.
- 07
After
Genetic counselling if positive
A high-risk result is followed by consultant-led genetic counselling and, if you choose, diagnostic confirmation by CVS or amniocentesis.
Typical end-to-end: 7–14 days. Urgent cases: 5 days.
What it shows
What NIPT can — and can’t — screen for.
Every panel screens the common trisomies and sex chromosomes. The differences sit in microdeletions, single-gene disorders and how vanishing-twin and mosaicism are handled.
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Trisomy 21, 18 and 13
The common autosomal trisomies — Down’s, Edwards and Patau syndromes — screened by every panel.
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Sex chromosome aneuploidies
Turner (45,X), Klinefelter (47,XXY), triple-X and XYY — reported by all panels.
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22q11 deletion (DiGeorge)
Included in Harmony, Panorama and PrenaTest as a targeted microdeletion.
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Other microdeletions (extended panels)
1p36, Cri-du-chat, Angelman, Prader-Willi — Panorama Extended screens the wider set.
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Single-gene disorders (Panorama Advanced)
A five-gene panel for selected dominant conditions — unique to Panorama Advanced.
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Fetal sex
Reported by every NIPT panel from 10 weeks — earlier and more accurate than an anatomy scan.
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Vanishing twin considerations
A resorbed twin can distort fetal fraction. Panorama uses SNP methodology that flags this explicitly.
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Red flag: failed test with high-risk factors — direct diagnostic testing
A no-call NIPT in a high-risk pregnancy usually means moving to CVS or amniocentesis rather than repeating the blood.
Next steps
What happens after the result.
What each result — reassurance, further screening or diagnostic confirmation — actually means in practice.
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Reassurance if low risk
A low-risk result across screened conditions — no further action beyond routine antenatal care.
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CVS from 11 weeks
Chorionic villus sampling — earliest diagnostic confirmation, performed transabdominally or transcervically.
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Amniocentesis from 15 weeks
Ultrasound-guided sampling of amniotic fluid — the gold-standard diagnostic test after a positive NIPT.
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Extended karyotype / microarray
CGH microarray detects submicroscopic deletions and duplications missed by conventional karyotype.
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Whole-exome sequencing (advanced)
For structural anomaly with a normal karyotype, exome sequencing can identify a monogenic cause.
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Genetic counselling
Consultant-led counselling explains what the finding means for this pregnancy and for future ones.
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Fetal medicine MDT
Complex findings are reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team — fetal medicine, genetics, paediatrics.
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Postnatal paediatric planning
Where a diagnosis is confirmed, a paediatric care plan is agreed before delivery.
Our vetted London network
A small panel of clinics, we picked them.
Fetal medicine partners across central, north, west and south London. Not listed publicly — introductions are made privately, once we understand your case.
Selection criteria
How we choose every clinic in our network.
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Consultant fetal medicine physicians reporting every result
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Direct laboratory relationships with Roche, Natera, LifeCodexx and Yourgene
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Consultant-led genetic counselling included for any high-risk result
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Onward CVS or amniocentesis pathway with the same consultant
Red flags
When NIPT alone isn’t enough.
Situations where a screening test — however sensitive — should be routed straight to consultant fetal medicine review, sometimes to diagnostic testing.
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High-risk NIPT
Any high-risk result on any panel is a same-week fetal medicine consultation and a diagnostic pathway decision.
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Structural anomaly + high-risk NIPT
A screening result alongside a structural finding on ultrasound is an urgent multi-disciplinary review.
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Failed NIPT with maternal factors
Raised BMI, autoimmune disease or heparin can suppress fetal fraction. A repeat is often not the answer.
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Advanced maternal age > 40
Baseline risk of aneuploidy is high enough that direct diagnostic testing is sometimes the more efficient route.
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Consanguinity
Raises the prior probability of autosomal recessive disease — extended screening or carrier testing is often more informative than NIPT alone.
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Previous affected pregnancy
A prior chromosomal or single-gene diagnosis shifts the risk calculus toward diagnostic testing.
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Family history of genetic disease
A known familial variant needs targeted testing, not screening — NIPT will miss it.
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Multiple pregnancy
NIPT performance is reduced in twins; SafeT21 and PrenaTest are not validated in higher-order multiples.
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Maternal chronic disease affecting result
Active malignancy, recent transfusion or organ transplantation can generate spurious results — declare these before testing.
Key facts
The six things that decide which NIPT you should have. In one place.
Read this first, then pick the panel that fits.
A quiet reminder
NIPT is a screen, not a diagnosis — and that’s normal.
If you would like us to talk you through the choice before you book, just ask.
- 01 Fact 01
Comparative overview of NIPT panels
A single guide to how Harmony, Panorama, PrenaTest, SafeT21 and Iona differ — content, reporting time and best-fit indication.
- 02 Fact 02
Common trisomy panels: 21, 18, X/Y
Every UK NIPT panel screens the three common autosomal trisomies (Down’s, Edwards, Patau) and the sex chromosomes.
- 03 Fact 03
Extended panels add microdeletions
Harmony, Panorama and PrenaTest add 22q11 (DiGeorge). Panorama’s extended panel covers additional microdeletions.
- 04 Fact 04
Single-gene disorders (Panorama Advanced)
Panorama Advanced adds a five-gene panel for selected dominant conditions — the only NIPT to do so at present.
- 05 Fact 05
Reporting times vary 5–14 days
SafeT21 and Harmony are the quickest (5–7 days); Panorama Advanced is the slowest (10–14 days).
- 06 Fact 06
All confirmed diagnostically if positive
NIPT is a screen — a high-risk result must be confirmed by CVS (from 11 weeks) or amniocentesis (from 15 weeks).
Recognised by major UK insurers
Cover depends on your policy and clinic; we confirm with your insurer before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about choosing an NIPT.
Quick answers on cost, accuracy, panel differences, referrals and what a high-risk result actually means.
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Which NIPT panel is most accurate for Down’s syndrome?
All five panels — Harmony, Panorama, PrenaTest, SafeT21 and Iona — report a detection rate above 99% for trisomy 21 with a false-positive rate below 0.1%. The differences between panels are not in T21 accuracy but in what else is screened, and in reporting time.
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What is the difference between Harmony and Panorama?
Harmony (Roche) uses targeted sequencing of chromosome-specific loci; Panorama (Natera) uses SNP-based analysis, which is uniquely able to identify vanishing twin, triploidy and parental origin of aneuploidy. Panorama Advanced also adds five single-gene disorders.
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How much does a private NIPT cost in London?
A standard trisomy panel is typically £425–£650 across our network; Panorama Advanced with the single-gene add-on is £795–£1,150. We confirm a firm figure within one working day.
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Do I need a referral?
Most clinics accept self-referral for NIPT, but every high-risk result is followed by consultant-led counselling. We can arrange a fast-track private GP referral where insurance requires one.
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When can I have an NIPT?
From 10 completed weeks of pregnancy. Earlier than this the fetal fraction in the maternal bloodstream is too low for a reliable result.
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What happens if my NIPT is high-risk?
A high-risk NIPT is a screening result, not a diagnosis. It is confirmed by chorionic villus sampling (from 11 weeks) or amniocentesis (from 15 weeks), with consultant-led genetic counselling either way.
Sources
- UK National Screening Committee. Non-invasive prenatal testing recommendations.
- RCOG. Green-top Guideline No. 8: Amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus Sampling.
- NICE. Antenatal care (NG201).
- Fetal Medicine Foundation. NIPT screening.
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · Next review 2027-07-30 · 6-minute read · Reviewed by Pulse Atlas Editorial Board, .
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In practice, in London
Why private non invasive prenatal tests nipts moves differently in London
With non invasive prenatal tests nipts, the London question is usually about report turnaround and the radiologist reading it — not whether the scan is available. Waiting lists on the NHS for non invasive prenatal tests nipts vary widely by borough and by how the GP letter reads. Privately in London, we can normally offer a slot inside the same week, sometimes within 48 hours if there’s a cancellation. The difference isn’t clinical quality — the consultants are frequently the same faces you’d see on the NHS — it’s the calendar.
In practice, a private non invasive prenatal tests nipts appointment in London means a named consultant, a proper hour in the room (or the equivalent on a video call), and a report you can actually read. Most of the imaging suites and endoscopy units we use sit within a mile of Harley Street or in Chelsea and Fulham, and turnaround on findings is measured in days, not weeks. For non invasive prenatal tests nipts specifically, the difference between a routine report and a sub-speciality read is where private care earns its keep.
We’re careful about what a private pathway for non invasive prenatal tests nipts can and can’t promise. It can compress a wait, put you in front of a subspecialist quickly, and get a proper report in your hands within a week. It can’t rewrite what the imaging or the bloods say. Setting that expectation up front tends to make the whole experience less stressful.