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One method of screening for risk for Down Syndrome and genetic abnormalities called Trisomies is by performing a blood test on the mother in late first trimester.This blood test is called a “Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening Test”, also known as a “NIPS” or “NIPT” test. Many different Pathology companies offer slightly different versions of the NIPS test, each with a different brand name – the ones we generally use here are the ReproMed “NEST Plus” test, or the Australian Clinical Labs (ACL) “Harmony” test. Information brochures about these tests are shown below: