Overview
Unity Complete
Unity Complete is a non-invasive prenatal screening test that additionally screens your baby’s risk for a range of inherited genetic conditions, on top of the chromosomal screening in Unity Basic.
The cost is US$800.
What It Screens For
Conditions Screened
- Cystic fibrosis
- Spinal muscular atrophy
- Sickle cell disease
- Thalassemias
- Canavan disease
- DMD-associated dystrophinopathies, including Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy
- Familial dysautonomia (Riley-Day syndrome)
- Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency
- PMM2-congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG type 1a)
- Phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome
Unity Complete also includes the Unity Basic screening: trisomies 21, 18 and 13, sex chromosome aneuploidy, twin zygosity, 22q11.2 microdeletion and fetal RhD status.
Important Note
NIPT is a screening test, not a diagnostic test. A positive result must be confirmed with a diagnostic test — CARIGEN’s QSTR Trisomy Analysis on a CVS or amniotic fluid sample. Discuss results with your doctor or genetic counsellor.
About the Conditions
Conditions Explained
A short guide to two of the inherited conditions this test screens for. Your doctor or a genetic counsellor can tell you more.
Cystic fibrosis (CFTR)
An inherited disorder in which a defective gene makes the body’s secretions thick and sticky, plugging tubes, ducts and passageways, mainly in the lungs and pancreas. Signs include salty sweat, a persistent cough with thick mucus, wheezing, repeated lung infections, greasy stools, poor weight gain and, in newborns, bowel blockage. It is progressive and needs daily care, but people with CF usually attend school and work, and live longer than in the past.
Alpha thalassemia (HBA1, HBA2)
An inherited blood disorder in which the body makes less hemoglobin than normal, so red blood cells carry less oxygen and anemia can cause fatigue. Mild forms may need no treatment, while more severe forms may need regular blood transfusions. Signs include fatigue, weakness, pale or yellowish skin, facial bone deformities, slow growth, abdominal swelling and dark urine. Some babies show signs at birth; others in their first two years.