Some of our most common questions.
Currently, Illumiscreen is not a publicly funded service. The test cost is $690 inc GST per screen, plus any collection costs charged by your centre. If you use one of our collection centres for your blood sample the collection cost is $22 inc GST.
The National Screening Programme blood test measures certain hormones and proteins in your blood. The results of these tests are then combined with other information, such as your age and weight, and ultrasound imagery, to give you a risk score for a small selection of genetic conditions. The national screening is only available up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Illumiscreen is available from 10 weeks of pregnancy, up to full gestation and looks at the whole genome. This means all 23 pairs of your baby’s chromosomes are screened for the more common syndromes, conditions related to missing or extra sex chromosomes and other rare conditions that may impact the health and developement of your baby. Learn what conditions are detected by Illumiscreen.
As Illumiscreen looks at the full genome, it is not possible to exclude the sex chromosome from the report, which will be listed as either XX or XY. We recommend discussing your wishes for the sex to remain a surprise with your healthcare provider, so they can make efforts to conceal this when sharing your results with you.
Illumiscreen requires a small blood sample which is collected in the same manner as routine blood tests and does not pose any risk to your pregnancy.
Getting your screen
To get your blood test, you can you find a list of all the Illumiscreen collection centres here. If there is no collection centre listed in your area, you can still request Illumiscreen with your healthcare provider’s referral. We will send out a test kit so your blood draw can be provided locally. The kit includes a return delivery bag.
The blood collection needs to go into a special tube, so must be performed using an Illumiscreen test kit.
The test is validated for singleton and twin pregnancies with gestational age of at least 10 weeks 0 days, as estimated by last menstrual period, crown rump length, or other appropriate method (equivalent to 8 weeks fetal age as determined by date of conception) right up to the birth of your baby.
Illumiscreen blood samples are kept in New Zealand and tested in our laboratory in Mount Wellington, Auckland.
My results
Most results are reported within 5 – 7 business days from sample arrival at Mount Wellington. Occasionally results are delayed for a number of factors. Find out more about the test process here.
The lab will provide results directly to your medical provider. Your provider will discuss the results with you. You can request a copy of the results from your medical provider.
You can request a copy of your results from your healthcare provider.
