The Annual Report on Prenatal Diagnostic Testing in Victoria, 2021

This annual report from the Victorian Prenatal Diagnosis Database (VPDD) summarises the results of fetal chromosome testing in Victoria during 2021. Victoria has approximately 76,000 confinements annually, and a median maternal age of 31.6 years (Australian Bureau of Statistics; https://www.abs.gov.au/). 

The VPDD has been collecting state-wide data on prenatal diagnostic procedures since 1976. We acknowledge our long-standing collaborators ­- the Victorian Clinical Genetics Service (VCGS) and Monash Pathology (current contributors), Melbourne Pathology and Australian Clinical Labs (former contributors). 

All amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) results performed prior to 25 weeks’ gestation on women living in Victoria are included in the annual report. This gestational age limit was chosen to capture diagnostic testing performed after routine screening for chromosome and fetal structural conditions in the first and second trimester. 

The data fields collected for each woman include: maternal age and gestation at the time of testing, type of diagnostic test, indication for testing, chromosome results, and pregnancy plurality. A single record is created for twin pregnancies or women who required repeat testing in the same pregnancy.