Australia to provide prenatal screening test for pregnant women with affordable rate

Australian pregnant women will have access to revolutionary prenatal screening technology that was previously only available, at a far higher cost, in the United States.

The technology involves a non-invasive blood test to screen expectant mothers for chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome early in their pregnancy.

The Victorian Clinical Genetic Services, a not-for-profit genetic testing organization, will offer the new test at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne.

Previously, those who wanted the cutting-edge test would have to travel to the United States and pay a substantial fee, sometimes upwards of 1500 U.S dollars, for the treatment.

But MCRI has purchased two screening machines, at a cost of 20, 000 U.S dollars each, to offer the tests to Australians at a much more affordable rate.

Medical director and Associate Professor at the Murdoch Institute, David Amor, told ABC radio's PM program said the availability of a revolutionary test like this in Australia will change the way foetuses are analyzed in the future.

"There is certainly a strong benefit in having the laboratory scientists in close communication with the counselors who are in turn in close communication with the patient," he said on Monday evening.

"As the technology improves we will see the test advance and see a lot more conditions added onto those that can be tested for non-invasively."

Amor said that currently up to 80 percent of pregnant women in Australia are undergoing a similar test that is invasive and poses some risk to the woman and her unborn child.

"We know that about 80 percent of women in Victoria were accessing that invasive test so potentially the non-invasive test could end up being offered or being taken up by 80 percent of pregnant women and I think all that will be required is the cost of the test to drop a little bit further," he said.

"I think the women have cast their vote that they want to have non-invasive testing, that is definitely their preference, so that is the direction that testing will go."

The cost of the test has plummeted to just 390 U.S dollars down from the previous 1500 U.S dollar rate, but Amor said he expects that figure to keep dropping now that the technology is more readily available in Australia. Endi