The Harmony Test

During pregnancy our surrogate mothers will make a lot of tests and screenings that can be tiring and irritating. That is why we want you to know about the importance and necessity of one of the most important tests that you can make during this precious period.

We think that for every parent and also for our future parents it will be helpful and significant to have an idea about what the Harmony Test is and why it is performed.

So let’s talk about it.

What is the Harmony Test?

The Harmony test is one of the most necessary tests, which needs to be done during your pregnancy in order to be ensured that there is nothing dangerous for your child.

It is a non –invasive prenatal testing, which can be made after 10 weeks of pregnancy. It’s a blood test, that analyses and measures the DNA from the fetus that circulates in the mother’s blood, in order to predict the risk of certain chromosome conditions , like Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Edward’s syndrome ( trisomy 18) or Patau syndrome ( trisomy 13).

Unfortunately, chromosomal condition can occur in every pregnancy. All these syndromes result in numerous defects and they can be fatal for your child. Also this test determines whether the baby is a boy or girl and poses no risk to the fetus. The test has not any risk to you baby and is almost 100% accurate.

Three Trisomies

Down Syndrome

Trisomy 21 also known as Down Syndrome is the most common trisomy at the time of birth. It is associated with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and may also lead to digestive disease, congenital heart defects and other malformations.

Edwards and Patau Syndromes

Trisomy 18, known as Edwards syndrome and Trisomy 13 known as Patau syndrome are associated with a high rate of miscarriage. These babies are born with severe brain abnormalities and often have congenital heart defects as well as other birth defects. Most affected individuals die before or soon after birth, and very few survive beyond the first year of life.

Sex chromosome conditions

The sex chromosomes (X and Y) determine whether we are male or female. X and Y chromosome conditions occur when there is a missing, extra, or incomplete copy of one of the sex chromosomes. This test may not be applicable to everyone, so you need to discuss it with you doctor.

Who is the Harmony test suitable for?

The Harmony test is specially recommended in case of pregnancy by surrogacy though the test is also suitable for a wide range of pregnancies. In surrogacy, as a specific type of IVF treatment, a prenatal test that offers near 100% accuracy in the diagnosis of congenital conditions can provide great reassurance.

 The Harmony test is suitable for:

• All twin and singleton pregnancies including IVF pregnancies
• Surrogacy pregnancies

The Harmony test can also be used to know the sex your baby, this feature of the test is suitable for:

• Singleton pregnancies only (not twins)
• In case of twin pregnancies if the fetuses are both female. If there is one female and one male, it will appear as male pregnancy only.

Pons Medical Group is a leading surrogacy agency in Georgia providing IVF services, donor services, surrogacy, pregnancy care and delivery.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if any questions appear!

Author: Knarik Margaryan, Coordinator of Tbilisi unit